Written by: Al-Aber

One quiet morning, you opened your door to find a small black envelope on the floor, written in old-fashioned handwriting:

“To those who dare to read… you have been chosen.”

Inside the envelope was a rusty key with a strange incense smell coming from it, and a piece of paper that said:

“There is one door in this city that can only be opened with this key. Whoever opens it will see what should not be seen.”

The address wasn't mentioned, but you felt something urge you to find out the way.

You held the key, feeling its strange weight, like something alive. Your steps led you through the narrow alleys, and the closer you got, the more the city's sounds faded until it was completely silent.

I arrived at an old house, its walls cracked, its windows covered with black wood, and its door closed with a huge lock that time had not dared to touch.

She put the key in, and a strange whisper came out in a language she didn't understand, then the door opened slowly.

The inside was larger than it should have been, a long corridor covered in faded red carpet and lined with huge mirrors.

But your reflection didn't move like you, it just stood there, smiling a creepy smile.

Your reflection reached out and penetrated the mirror as if it were water, and grabbed your arm.

Half of your body began to enter the mirror, the hallway disappeared to be replaced by thick darkness, and your reflection's eye glowed there.

He whispered in a deep voice:

“I've been waiting for this moment... ever since I was born.”

The world inside the mirror was a deadened version of reality. Faded colors, gray skies with no sun or moon, abandoned houses that seemed to be watching you.

The ground is covered in water that reflects the moving shadows of people you have not seen, but you feel that they know you.

On the horizon was a door shining with a cold blue light.

Your reflection said:

“This door is the way back, but there is a price… there is always a price.”

Your reflection said:

Your reflection said:

“The price is to leave something of your soul here, so that the door will remain open.”

He reached for your chest, and you felt a thread of light being pulled from you, carrying your memories and your name starting to fade.

I understood that returning means being a faded version of yourself, while staying means remaining in the world of shadows until someone else comes and opens the door.

You stood there struggling between two choices: to lose a part of your soul or to stay here forever.

Your reflection grabbed your wrist and said:

“Choose now.”

I heard footsteps approaching quickly, a huge hooded shadow appeared with a twisting metal chain in his hand.

Your reflection smiled:

“If you don't pay, he'll take it.”

You rushed towards the thread of light, grabbed it with all your strength, and pulled it to your chest.

Your reflection screamed, and the blue door started to close, but the shadow leapt towards you and its chain wrapped around your neck.

You threw yourself through the door, landing on the floor of your house, key in hand.

But the mirror in front of you did not reflect your image, but rather your smiling reflection knocking on the glass and whispering:

“Your turn… soon.”

After that night, every mirror in your house started showing strange things:

Sometimes your image disappears for a split second.

In the bathroom mirror I saw a foggy street.

In your bedroom you saw a black door opening and closing.

One night, you woke up to a faint tapping sound from the mirror opposite your bed.

Your reflection was there, holding the rusty key, whispering:

“It's my turn... open up for me.”

The glass began to crack, hundreds of faces of yours reflecting anger and madness.

Glass exploded, shards flying through the air like a swarm of metallic insects.

Your reflection came out of the mirror, his body tilted slightly but he smiled widely, he said:

“I no longer need your approval… The door is open both ways now.”

And you saw your other self in the gray world, screaming and trying to escape but his voice wouldn't reach you.

Your reflection whispers:

“It's time to switch… forever.”

At the last moment, the battle was fought in your mind and soul, and you had no choice but to confront.

You gathered all the strength within you and screamed at your reflection, trying to push it back.

With one touch, you felt yourself detach from that world, and regain control of your body.

With the screams of the mirror shattering around you, you closed your eyes tightly, and when you opened them, you were standing in your room, the same room you knew this journey had begun.

But something has changed… the air is heavier, and shadows move for no reason.

I put the key on the table and closed all the mirrors in the house.

I knew that this war wasn't over, but it was temporary... and that the door I had opened could only be closed with strength and determination.

As darkness falls on your room, she whispers one word in your heart:

“Beware… he's looking back, waiting for his next opportunity.”