**For my 23rd birthday, I didn’t expect much. A quiet dinner with my family, a few calls from friends, maybe some new books. But when my grandfather handed me a small, worn-out box, something inside me stirred. His eyes twinkled behind thick glasses, and a mischievous grin crept up on his face.**

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**“Happy birthday, Emma,” he said, patting my shoulder.**

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**I smiled, peeling the faded paper away. Inside the box was a pair of vintage spectacles—round, with thin golden rims. They didn’t look like much, but they carried an odd weight, as though they held something more than just glass.**

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**“They’re special,” Grandpa whispered. “Put them on.”**

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**I hesitated for a moment. “Special how?”**

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**“You’ll see,” he said with a wink.**

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**I shrugged, sliding them onto my nose. At first, everything seemed normal. The living room was just as I’d left it: the old leather couch, dusty bookshelves, my sister’s half-eaten slice of cake on the table. But as I glanced toward the corner of the room, something flickered—a shimmer in the air.**

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**I blinked, adjusting the glasses. In the corner stood a tall, shadowy figure, watching me silently. My heart pounded. I whipped off the glasses, and the figure vanished. When I put them back on, it was there again.**

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**“Grandpa… what is that?” My voice wavered.**

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**He chuckled, settling into his armchair. “Ah, so you’ve met your first one. They’re always around, you know—things hidden in plain sight. Some call them spirits, others simply echoes of time. These glasses let you see what the rest of the world ignores.”**

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**I was speechless. My entire world felt like it had shifted. Ghosts? Spirits? What else had been lurking just outside my vision all these years?**

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**Over the next few days, I tested the glasses in every way I could think of. I wore them while walking through the park, while grocery shopping, even in the quiet of my own room. Everywhere I went, there were hidden things—creatures or beings I couldn’t explain. Some were small, flitting between trees or peeking out from behind buildings. Others were enormous, standing in the middle of crowds, completely unnoticed.**

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**At first, it was thrilling, like I’d unlocked some secret dimension. But soon, it became unsettling. Some of these things were benign, like the spirit of an old woman who floated down the street, humming to herself. Others… weren’t so friendly. One night, as I lay in bed, I put the glasses on out of habit. In the dark corner of my room, a pair of glowing red eyes stared back at me.**

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**My breath caught in my throat. Slowly, I slid the glasses off, and the eyes vanished into the darkness.**

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**I couldn’t shake the feeling that the glasses weren’t just revealing the hidden—they were making me a part of it. These beings knew I could see them now. Some ignored me. Others… followed me.**

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**One day, I went to visit Grandpa, desperate for answers.**

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**“Why did you give these to me?” I asked, holding the glasses out to him. “Why me?”**

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**Grandpa’s face softened. “I thought you were ready, Emma. I’ve had those glasses for most of my life, but I’m getting too old to deal with what they show. I thought maybe you’d be strong enough.”**

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**I wasn’t so sure anymore.**

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**“What happens if I stop wearing them?”**

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**Grandpa sighed. “You’ll go back to the way things were. Blissfully unaware. But remember, once you’ve seen them, they’ll always know you’re there. Some of them might not leave you alone so easily.”**

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**I stared at the glasses in my hand, unsure if I could handle the responsibility.**

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**I couldn’t stop thinking about Grandpa’s words, but I was determined to test the theory. The glasses lay on my nightstand for two days, untouched. I tried to settle back into normal life—work, calls with friends, going out for coffee—but a creeping unease followed me everywhere.**

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**It felt like I was constantly being watched. I couldn’t prove it, and without the glasses, I had no way of knowing for sure. Still, whenever I turned a corner or glanced over my shoulder, I swore I saw flickers of movement out of the corner of my eye.**

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**On the third night, as I lay in bed, the feeling of eyes on me was unbearable. I had been tossing and turning for hours, heart pounding, skin prickling with the sensation of being observed. My hand drifted toward the glasses. Don’t do it, I told myself. But the dread was too much.**

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**I slipped them on.**

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**At first, I didn’t see anything unusual. The room looked the same: my dresser in the corner, my desk with piles of unfinished work, and the soft glow of my lamp. But then I turned toward the window—and froze.**

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**A figure stood in the shadows by my bed. It was tall, with elongated limbs that stretched unnaturally. Its eyes glowed faintly, a sickly green light. I wanted to scream, but my voice caught in my throat. The figure didn’t move, didn’t blink—it just watched.**

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**I yanked the glasses off, heart hammering. But the figure’s image was burned into my mind.**

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**After that night, things only got worse. Every time I put the glasses on, the figures became more frequent. They weren’t just in my house anymore; they were everywhere. At the grocery store, in the library, walking down the street. Some followed me, hovering at a distance like silent sentinels.**

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**I went back to Grandpa.**

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**“They’re getting closer,” I told him, the panic clear in my voice. “I can’t handle it. I don’t want to see them anymore.”**

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**Grandpa looked at me with sad, understanding eyes. “I warned you, Emma. Once you’ve seen them, they know you’re there. But there’s more to it. The glasses don’t just reveal—they also attract. They sense the power in you.”**

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**“Power?” I echoed, confused.**

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**He nodded. “There’s something about those glasses that draws them in, yes. But it’s also about you. The reason I gave them to you is because I knew you had potential. These beings… they’re not all harmful. Some of them are lost, others curious. But there are others—dangerous ones—that seek out that power. That’s why they’re coming closer.”**

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**I felt a chill run down my spine. “So what am I supposed to do? Just wait until they… what? Attack me?”**

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**Grandpa shook his head. “No. You learn to control it. The glasses gave you sight, but now you have to learn to guard yourself. There are ways to protect against the dangerous ones, but it takes time and knowledge.”**

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**He reached into a drawer and pulled out an old leather-bound journal. “This was mine. Everything I learned over the years is in here. Read it, and you’ll start to understand. But you need to be careful. Don’t use the glasses unless you have to.”**

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**I took the journal, feeling its weight. The edges were worn, and the pages inside were yellowed with age. It felt like holding a piece of Grandpa’s past, a guide through this new and terrifying world.**

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**As I left his house, I realized that the glasses had opened a door I couldn’t close. Now, I had to figure out how to navigate the shadows I had let in.**

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**That night, I sat on my bed, staring at the journal. Part of me was tempted to shove it into a drawer and pretend none of this had happened. But the other part—the part that had always been curious, always seeking answers—knew I couldn’t turn back now.**

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**I opened the journal.**

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**The first page was a sketch of a figure, one of the shadowy beings I had seen with the glasses. Next to it, Grandpa had written: ****_“Not all that is hidden is evil. But some will be.”_******

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**I swallowed hard and flipped to the next page.**

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**It was going to be a long night.**