The Mirror’s Shadow
Each morning, I begin my routine by heading to the bathroom to get ready for work. While following my usual skincare routine, I often catch myself staring into the mirror, especially when I’m brushing my teeth. I tend to miss a spot in the back every time.
This morning, as I brushed, I noticed something strange about my reflection. It felt— off, almost like it was glitching. Maybe it’s just my early-morning grogginess playing tricks on me, but it always seems like my reflection is a second out of sync.
I shrugged it off and went on with getting dressed. Once I got in the car, a strange urge made me glance into the rearview mirror. I thought I had applied enough foundation to cover my blemishes, but my skin looked unusually pale.
As I adjusted the mirror, something unexpected came into view—a faint shadow sitting behind me. It waved. Startled, my body jerked, causing me to hit the car horn. I whipped around, only to find my bag resting on the seat. What the hell is going on today?
I carried on with my workday as usual, though my mind kept wandering back to what had happened. I found myself checking my surroundings more often than usual.
Something felt off at the office, too. My coworkers, who were normally chatty, seemed different. The usual hum of conversation was replaced by an eerie silence, broken only by the soft clicking of keyboards.
The rest of the day was in silence. As the clock struck the end of my shift, I began packing up my things to head home. My boss passed by my desk and casually remarked, “Be careful today. I think there’s a virus going around.”
Maybe that explains why everyone seems so sluggish today, I thought.
I got in my car and tossed my bag into the backseat. A glance out the window caught my attention—one of my coworkers was sitting in their car nearby. Then, in the blink of an eye, their car was splattered in red.
Did I fall asleep at my desk again? Is this a dream?
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. This time, my coworker was calmly pulling out onto the street like nothing had happened. Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks because of that movie from last night.
As I drove, I couldn’t shake the urge to check the mirror again. My eyes flicked up to it cautiously. This time, my reflection glitched again—only it didn’t stay confined to the mirror.
Startled, I slammed on the brakes and turned to look in the backseat. What I saw left me frozen. The road around me was eerily empty. The shadow flickered, its form glitching as it twisted into a wicked smile. Its hand stretched toward me, but no matter how much I wanted to move, my body refused to obey.
All I could comprehend was a single word it whispered: “Home.”
I tried to ignore it, taking a deep breath as I continued driving home. But it stayed there, still pointing. Deep down, I knew this wasn’t going to end well for me.
When I arrived home, it vanished from the backseat—but somehow, it reappeared inside my house, waiting by the front door.
I hesitated before stepping inside, but when I did, it pointed toward the bathroom. I didn’t even bother putting my things down—I just followed.
Inside the bathroom, the shadow began to glitch erratically, still holding that unnerving smile.
Drawn toward the mirror, I stepped closer. It kept repeating one word: “Home.” My body moved on its own as my hand reached for the glass. The moment I touched it, everything shifted.
I was suddenly inside the mirror, staring out at the figure. It adjusted itself, checking its appearance as if it were trying on a new body.
Panicked, I banged on the glass, but the figure only stepped back, waving goodbye with that same twisted smile.
“No! NO!!” I screamed, but it was too late.
