"The Smile in the Mirror"
It started small.
So small that Aarav almost ignored it.
The mirror in his room had always been there—old, slightly cracked at the corner, but clear enough to show his tired face every morning. Nothing unusual.
Until the day it smiled first.
Aarav was brushing his teeth, half-asleep, staring blankly at his reflection.
And then—
His reflection smiled.
A slow, quiet smile.
Aarav froze.
His own face didn't move.
The toothbrush slipped from his hand and hit the sink with a dull sound.
"What…?" he whispered.
The reflection stopped smiling instantly—now perfectly matching him again.
Aarav laughed nervously. "I'm just tired…"
But deep down, something felt wrong.
That night, he avoided the mirror.
He turned it slightly toward the wall before going to bed.
Still, sleep didn't come easily.
At around 2:17 AM, he woke up.
No reason.
No sound.
Just that feeling—like someone was watching.
Slowly, he turned his head.
The mirror was facing him again.
Aarav sat up.
"I moved that…" he muttered.
The room was silent.
Too silent.
Then—
Tap.
A faint sound.
From the mirror.
Aarav's heart began to race.
He stared at it.
Another tap.
Like something… from the inside.
Gathering courage, he stood up and walked toward it.
Step by step.
His reflection followed normally.
Until he got closer.
Then it lagged.
Just a second behind.
Aarav stopped.
The reflection took one more step.
Now they stood inches apart.
Face to face.
The reflection slowly lifted its hand.
Aarav didn't.
It pressed its palm against the glass.
From the inside.
Aarav stumbled back in horror.
"No… no, this isn't real…"
The reflection smiled again.
Wider this time.
"Let me out," it said.
The voice didn't echo in the room.
It echoed inside his head.
Aarav shook his head violently. "No!"
He grabbed a cloth and threw it over the mirror, covering it completely.
The room went silent again.
For a moment… it felt over.
Days passed.
Nothing happened.
No movement.
No sounds.
The mirror stayed covered.
Aarav started to believe it was all in his mind.
Until one evening—
He came home and found the cloth on the floor.
The mirror uncovered.
Clean.
Waiting.
Aarav felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Slowly… he looked up.
His reflection was normal.
Still.
Silent.
Not smiling.
Aarav let out a shaky breath.
"See? Nothing…"
Then he turned away.
And walked out of the room.
A few seconds later—
He came back.
Something felt… off.
Very off.
He looked at the mirror again.
And this time—
The reflection wasn't there.
The mirror showed the room.
The bed.
The open door.
But not him.
Aarav's breathing stopped.
He looked down at his own hands.
They were still there.
So why—
Slowly… very slowly…
A hand appeared in the mirror.
From inside.
Then a face.
His face.
Stepping forward.
Out of the glass.
Smiling.
Relieved.
Finally free.
It stretched its neck, cracked its fingers, and looked directly at Aarav.
"Thanks," it said softly.
Aarav tried to scream—
But no sound came out.
Because in the mirror now—
He was the one inside.
Trapped.
Watching.
As the other him walked away… living his life...