The Village That Time Forgot
The Shadow Behind Mirror Kalagading Village sits deep within the forest, hidden from maps and forgotten by time. Trees with crooked limbs loom over the narrow path that leads to the village. Travelers avoid this route, whispering about strange cries that echo at night. The villagers never leave after sunset. They shut their windows and pray in silence as the last light disappears.
Locals speak little about their past. Elders refuse to name the shadow that cursed the village decades ago. The air grows cold near the entrance, even during summer. A sense of dread hangs like fog between the houses. Children dare not play alone, and dogs whimper when the sun sets. The village remains locked in a cycle of fear.
Arrival of the Stranger
One rainy evening, a stranger named Arya stepped into Kalagading, seeking shelter. He carried only a backpack and an old journal that once belonged to his grandmother. The villagers watched him from behind curtains but offered no welcome. An old man pointed silently to the empty hut on the edge of the forest.
Arya lit a candle and opened the dusty door. Cobwebs covered the windows, and the walls groaned under the weight of age. He unpacked his journal and flipped through its yellowed pages. The name “Kalagading” appeared over and over, always underlined. He sensed something stirred the moment he spoke the name aloud.
The Shadow Behind Mirror The Mirror in the Attic
Arya explored the creaking house and discovered a trapdoor above the kitchen. He pulled it open and climbed into a dusty attic. There, under a moth-eaten cloth, stood an ancient mirror. Its frame shimmered with strange carvings, and its glass appeared darker than shadow. He wiped the surface and saw not his reflection, but flickering images of unknown places.
The air thickened around him as whispers emerged from the mirror’s edges. He stared deeper and saw faces, eyes wide, mouths silent. He touched the glass and felt cold fingers grip his wrist. Arya yanked his hand away and stumbled down the ladder. The mirror, now uncovered, reflected the room behind him but not him.
Whispers Beneath the Floorboards
That night, Arya couldn’t sleep. The floorboards beneath his bed creaked with slow, deliberate pressure. He lit a candle and listened. Whispers leaked from beneath the planks, speaking an ancient tongue. He dropped to the floor and pressed his ear against the wood. A scream burst through, sharp and inhuman.
Arya grabbed a knife and pried open a plank. Beneath it, he found soil fresh and black despite the age of the house. Fingers twitched within the dirt. He recoiled as a pale hand shot upward. He replaced the plank and hammered it shut with trembling hands. The whispers stopped, but the silence felt worse.
The Shadow Behind Mirror The Village’s Unspoken History
Arya visited the oldest villager, Grandma Titi, the next morning. She sat in a rocking chair with her back to the window. He asked about the mirror. Her body froze, and her voice dropped to a whisper. “That mirror came from the Dutch woman who died here during the war,” she said. “She cursed us when they burned her alive.”
According to Titi, the woman practiced dark rituals using mirrors as gateways. The village council had accused her of witchcraft and locked her in the attic. The house had remained untouched since her death, until Arya opened it again. Titi warned him to leave before the shadow followed him home.
Shadow That Walks Without Sound
That night, Arya heard footsteps circling his house. He peeked through the curtains and saw nothing. The footsteps stopped when he stepped outside. Cold air bit his skin, and silence blanketed the yard. He returned inside and found muddy prints on the floor leading to the attic.
He climbed the ladder and found the mirror glowing faintly. A shape moved within the glass a shadow with long hair and hollow eyes. The shape stepped forward and pressed against the inside of the mirror. Arya screamed and fell backward. The glow vanished, but the sound of breathing filled the attic.
The Shadow Behind the Mirror The Forgotten Journal
Desperate for answers, Arya reopened his grandmother’s journal. He found a section she had hidden behind torn pages. She once lived in Kalagading during childhood and watched the burning of the Dutch woman. Her final entries warned of the mirror’s curse. “Do not let her out. Do not say her name,” the last line read.
Arya finally understood that his presence awakened the dormant spirit. The mirror served as a prison, not a relic. His touch, his curiosity, had broken the seal. The journal included a map with red markings around the village. Each mark indicated a house where a mirror once stood. All were shattered except one.
A Village Surrounded by Fear
Arya confronted the villagers. He begged them to explain the truth. They closed their doors and turned their backs. Only a boy whispered to him, “She comes when we forget to fear her.” Arya walked the village and noticed how each home avoided mirrors. People used polished wood or covered metal. No glass reflected anything.
As night fell, the entire village grew quiet. No fire burned. No dogs barked. Arya returned to his hut and found the mirror glowing again. This time, the figure stood clearly inside, lips moving in silent rage. He grabbed a hammer and smashed the glass. The mirror cracked but refused to shatter.
The Shadow Behind the Old Mirror
Arya packed his bag and ran through the forest before sunrise. The trees reached for him like claws. Shadows twisted along the trail. He heard her voice calling his name, echoing from behind the trees.
A passing driver picked him up and drove him away. Arya never returned to Kalagading, but nightmares haunted him every night. He burned the journal and moved far from mirrors. Still, sometimes, in dark reflections, her shadow watches him. The curse of Kalagading lives on through him.