It was supposed to be just a challenge.
My name is Daksh. I'm seventeen years old, living in a small town where nothing unusual ever happens. At least, that's what I believed before that night.
My exams had just ended, and like every other bored teenager, I was looking for something exciting. That's when my friend dared me to visit the old abandoned mansion at the edge of town and record a video there at midnight.
Everyone knew about that mansion.
People said strange sounds came from inside after dark. Some claimed they had seen shadows moving across the broken balcony. Others swore they heard whispers when no one was around.
I didn't believe any of it.
At 11:45 PM, I quietly stepped out of my house. My phone was fully charged. Flashlight ready. Heart beating slightly faster than usual—but I blamed it on excitement.
The mansion stood in complete darkness when I reached it. The moonlight barely touched its cracked walls. The iron gate was half broken, hanging loosely like it had been forced open years ago.
As I pushed it, it made a long, painful creaking sound.
The air suddenly felt colder.
Not normal cold.
The kind that crawls under your skin.
I turned on my flashlight and stepped inside. Dust floated in the beam of light. The silence was heavy—almost alive.
Then I saw it.
On the second-floor balcony.
A white figure.
Standing still.
Watching me.
My breath stopped.
I quickly raised my phone to record—but the screen began flickering.
And then…
From my phone's speaker, a whisper echoed:
"You came back…"
My blood ran cold.
I had never been here before.
So how did it think I had returned?
And more importantly—
If I had come back…
When was the first time?
(To be continued…)