“The Midnight Mirror”

The abandoned house on Hollow Hill had been empty for

years, but every night at exactly midnight, a dim light

appeared in the upstairs window. People in town claimed

they could hear footsteps pacing inside even though no one

lived there. One rainy evening, a boy named Noah dared

himself to enter the house and prove the stories were fake.

Carrying only a flashlight, he pushed open the creaking

front door and stepped into the darkness.

Inside, the air smelled rotten, and the floorboards

groaned beneath his feet. Dust covered the furniture

like gray snow, and strange family portraits hung crooked

on the walls. As Noah explored deeper into the house, he

noticed something unsettling — every clock he passed had

stopped at exactly 12:13. Then, from upstairs, he heard

a loud thump followed by slow footsteps dragging across

the floor. Trying to stay calm, Noah climbed the staircase

toward the sound. At the end of the hallway was a half-open

bedroom door with light glowing inside.

He slowly pushed it open and found an old mirror standing

in the center of the room. In the reflection, he saw

himself… but something was wrong. Behind his reflection

stood a tall shadowy figure with hollow eyes and

a grin stretched too wide across its face.

Noah spun around, but the room was empty.

Suddenly the bedroom door slammed shut, and the lights

flickered violently. The figure appeared again in the

mirror, closer this time, raising one long finger toward

him. Then Noah felt cold breath against the back of his

neck. A whisper filled the room:

"Don’t turn around."

The next morning, the police found the front door of the

house wide open, but Noah was gone. The only thing left

behind was his flashlight lying in the upstairs bedroom,

still turned on and pointing at the mirror.

Across the dusty glass, someone had written three words

with long, crooked fingers:

"HE TOOK ME."