“Dear lily,

I Believe it was wrong time, wrong place but as I held you in my arms, it felt too right. Maybe even too good to be true. The way you swept me off my feet, the sunsets we used to watch together, hand in hand. The way your home cooked meals would turn into romantic car rides with quiet music. The simple kisses on the cheek when I got home from work.It was like a dream come true for me, but for you it was a nightmare. I never really had your full attention and you would zone out in serious conversations. You were always my number one but I was always a second choice. Like the time you found out your were pregnant, looking at me with a wide grin plastered on your lips. The way you would rub your stomach and let me press my ear up to it to feel kicking. But it soon ended when I saw that message on your phone, the way eleven words can break a heart. ‘Come and meet me, babe. I want to see your child.’ That’s when it went south. That’s when I knew what I had to do! I’m sorry, I just couldn’t live with the fact you and another mans child could be living, the fact I let you stay under my roof while having an affair.”

I placed the note onto my ex-wife’s rotting corpse and poured gasoline onto her bump and then onto her one night stand. And then onto her guilty face. I stepped back and threw my lighter into their bodies and watched as they went up in flames, smile smeared across my face.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” I joked as I brushed my hair, looking into my scratched mirror. I had just got home from a long day of boring school! My little sister would always say that to my mirror and then run out crying. As I did my makeup, I blinked into my mascara but my own reflection didn’t blink too. Shocked, I stared at myself. It laughed and my sister was standing behind me. I turned around to look at her bloodshot eyes and rosy cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” I asked

“Don’t look away!” She screamed.

The reflections had vanished but then I saw them out of my window, me and my little sister with numb faces. They (or we) were just standing near the front door emotionless. Staring at nothing but thin air.

“What’s going on??” I said, panicked. “Mother knows. All you have to do is break the mirror or dent it or scratch it, i don’t know! And then they will stop looking at you and you won’t have to look at them, until they get to you!!”

I stared at them.

“I’m so confused…” “I was scared when it started. We need to destroy the mirror.” She said while looking out of the window at your reflections. “I’ll look away and you…I don’t know. Be a help and call mom.”

I walked over to my hairbrush and banged on the glass. Not a scratch, it was invincible! I heard the front door open but I knew it wasn’t mom or dad, it was us (or them) . I found a fork and scratched the glass finally! I felt cold air all around me and my sister bursted out in tears. I ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

Later that day, I dumped that mirror into a large bin, never to be used again.

Hopefully…

I woke up from my afternoon nap, desperately craving a cup of coffee. Slowly, I walked down the stairs and flicked the switch to the kettle. The afternoon warmness made me smile and I stood by the window, taking it all in like a breath of fresh air. It was nice to be in the countryside and away from the busy city where you get pushed pillar to post on the weekends on the way to work. Turning around towards the living room, I sat down onto the sofa and began reading my brand new book. I must have dozed off because it grew dark.

Crash! Abruptly sitting up, elbows resting behind me, I looked around the room to try and see what had fell. crash! I flinched, it sounded like it was beneath me. The lights flickered and then the power went out, leaving me in darkness. I sighed and remembers how the previous owner said said she witnessed the power going out a lot when nothing tripped the switches, strange.

Opening the door to the basement, torch in hand, I walked down further and further into the basement. I got a waft of rotting flesh and other gross stuff and I tiptoed further down until I reached the bottom step. I saw a light moving back and forth, like on a rocking chair. I moved closer and closer towards it until I came to a halt. It was a person. “H…hello? Do you need help?” I didn’t shine the flashlight onto it while I spoke, trying not to scare whoever was under my house. “Get…out…” they whispered in a hoarse voice, “before it’s…too late..” I shone the light into her. They were wearing a long dress with stains on it and bits of human flesh splattered onto it along with knotty blonde hair, uncut and long down to her hips. Her eyes seemed as white as snow, no emotion. “Ahh!” I screamed, quickly running towards the power and then quickly flipped the switch back on. I turned around but nothing was there. Just coldness that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

After I witnessed that, I moved out and moved cross country (back to my mothers house) and then a man moved in alone like me. Soon after, he was found dead hanging from a rope in the basement. Some people say it was suicide, others say it was a set up but only I know the truth… it was her.

(422 words total)

“Hello. I will be your therapist today.” The woman in the green dress said as I took a seat. Ever since I escaped that town, no one has believed me so I have turned to my last option, therapy. All of my friends and family said I need a therapist (they think I’m going mad!) so I obliged.

“Hello.” I replied “Okay so I’ll just be talking about basic things today, like why you’re here any getting to know each-other” she smiled at me. “Perfect. My name is nova.” “That’s a pretty name, nova. Mine is hazel. Nice to meet you!” She smiled again. Does she ever stop smiling? She looks like the grinch. “So why have you decided to come to therapy?” She asked “My friends said I should come. Also, nobody believes me.” “Believes you about what? Can you explain?” She said as she picked up a piece of paper and a pen. She clicked it. Oh god, here we go again. I rolled my eyes. “A month ago my friends and I decided to go hiking through some rocks and rivers. It was really pretty and I thought I would be fine. We climbed up a really steep cliff and as we reached the top, all we could see were dark green trees covering the vast wasteland like a blanket. Soon after, I heard someone shouting my name and I saw dark red blood dripping from a tree along with my friends ripped up top. I ran up to it but nothing was there, no blood, clothes and I couldn’t hear the screams anymore.” “And how did this make you feel?” “Scared. Like I was going crazy..” “Carry on, nova. If you want to stop, you can at any moment.” She said, clicking her pen. “I turned around to follow the group again but they were no where to be seen! Then, just as I thought things couldn’t get any bloody worse, I feel down a hole. I hit my head pretty bad and also I hurt my knee.” “Can I see it?” She asked I looked down towards my knee and slid up my skirt, reviling a large gash from my thigh down to my calf. Her eyes said it all so I carried on. “I think I was out for a while because it grew dark and when I woke up I felt like my skin was crawling. Standing up, I saw a large entrance with rotting wood which looked like it was ancient. I crawled under a large shrub and I just stared at it in awe. Then, a tall figure wearing a ripped coat walked up to it. It’s face looked mangled and deformed but also like bones and rotting flesh. I felt cold and the air fell still as he hung onto the price of mouldy rope and tugged on it, causing a pound sound to hurt my ears. And then, I woke up in the hospital, as if nothing had happened!” I said Hazel stared at me, confused and I caught a glimpse of her paper and it was empty. Must have been a really good story, she was mesmerised! “Soooo…? Am I crazy or what?” “Don’t ever come back again.” “Eh??” I was shocked “another person who thinks I’m crazy!” “That’s my husband. I saw him before I died.” “You’re.. what?” “Dead.” She stared at the wall behind me. “Am I dreaming?” Her eyes darted on me. “You’re not supposed to know that.”She pinched my arm. “ouch!” I shouted, gasping as I woke up in my bed. “What the fuck? Dreaming again?” I laughed to myself. Then, I looked down at my arm where she had ‘pinched’ me and there was a red mark.

Oh…

“I love you” he whispered into her neck, hugging her at the airport. “I love you too..” she mumbled, holding back tears. “Don’t forget me, my love.” “Of course I won’t, it’s only university. I’ll be back before you know it.” She replied. “We have to text every day! Long distance will be hard.” “ okay. Let’s make a safe word or something.” Quickly, a man rushed past them and dropped a hot cup of tea onto the floor. “Shit.” He cursed “Oh no!” The girl said, reaching out to help him up. The man and girl helped clean up the drink and bought him a new hoodie. “Lovely to meet you” they said, smiling. “You too! Thank you again.” He walked off. “Tea” the man said “What now?” She looked at him, irritated “I need to go soon” “Our safe word. Tea.” They laughed hard until they couldn’t breathe. And with that she walked off, boarding the plane.

Weeks of texting turned into every hour and then a few times a day and then a few times a month until their phones fell silent. It had been 12 years and the girl stayed longer than she had planned to and had now had two beautiful children and was married to a wealthy man. On the other hand, the boy became the manager of a huge restaurant with an only child who was adorable. They were both happy but felt as if they were missing something, or someone.

Mom is typing… -Hey Rachel, I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, bring the kids and mark. Love you!-

Rachel is typing… -Ok mom, see you soon. Cant wait to travel back to you all. :)-

When they got there, the girl and her family were at a restaurant, ordering only the most expensive foods. “give me my money back!” Someone was shouting across the room. “Sorry sir, please sit down!” Said another man. “I want to speak to your manager! This is disgusting food and I want a refund!” He shouted again, ignoring his surroundings “Ok sir, if you sit down we will call our manager for you.” He sat down.

A few moments later, the matter was finally sorted so the manager was going around tables, apologising to everyone. Until he came over to the table of the girl.

“Hello, sorry for the inconveni-“ he paused. The girl looked up at him, puzzled. “Rachel. You never came back! Oh god I was waiting for you to ..” his paused again, scanning her new family. “Do I know you, sir?” She asked, extremely confused. “It’s me, Ben!” She looked around, as if apologising to her husband. “Tea.” He said, smiling. “Pardon me?” She said, shocked “You’ve forgotten me.” He nodded, heart breaking fully. “I have forgotten.” She said while raising her eyebrows