𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 | 𝐛𝐧𝐡𝐚

𝟏𝟔. echoes of dread

i found myself in a hazy, half-lit room, a child's room, filled with the gentle glow of an unseen light. the walls were decorated with soft pastel colors, and toys cluttered the floor, their vibrant hues muted in the dimness. my young reflection stood before a tall mirror, framed in ornate wood. i felt a curious detachment from the scene, as though i was merely an observer in my own dream.

a tall woman with light brown hair and kind brown eyes, exuding an aura of warmth and tenderness, stood behind me. her touch was gentle, soothing as she stroked and brushed my hair with a loving hand. her fingers were delicate, and her touch felt like a mother's, an unfamiliar sensation that stirred something deep within me—a yearning for something I had never known.

her voice was soft, her words cryptic and laced with an eerie calmness. "you must remember, my dear, the shadows have secrets... they dance in the silence." her tone was soothing but laden with an unsettling gravity.

i tried to speak, to respond, but my voice was trapped within me, my actions beyond my control. i could only stare at my reflection, my young eyes wide with confusion. the woman turned me to face her, her gaze piercing yet compassionate.

"the truth lies in the cracks," she said, her voice a whisper that seemed to echo from everywhere and nowhere. "when the darkness speaks, listen closely." her words were jumbled, unsettling.

then, with a horrific suddenness, her form began to decay. her once kind eyes grew hollow, and her skin seemed to melt away in patches, leaving a grotesque, shifting visage. i tried to scream, but no sound came out, my voice trapped in a silent scream of terror.

as she disintegrated into nothingness, the room around me started to distort. the floor beneath me gave way, and i plummeted into an abyss of swirling darkness. i fell through the void, the sensation of weightlessness giving way to a bone-jarring impact as i landed hard on cold, unforgiving concrete.

i jolted awake, my breathing erratic, the remnants of the nightmare clinging to me like a shroud. my heart pounded wildly as i glanced around the room, the shadows from the dream still lurking at the edges of my vision. my gaze fell on the alarm clock beside my bed—4:44 am. the sight did little to reassure me, only adding to the sense of unease that gripped me.

with a heavy sigh, i pushed myself out of bed, the cold floor pressing against my bare feet. i slipped on my slippers, the familiar comfort doing little to soothe my frayed nerves. my mind felt like it was on the edge of slipping away, the dream's haunting echo lingering far too vividly.

"was that my mother?" i whispered to myself, the question slipping out before i could catch it. the idea was absurd, yet the thought gnawed at me, driving me closer to the brink of insanity.

as i moved through my room, my thoughts began to spiral uncontrollably. my heartbeat quickened, each thud reverberating through my skull. the room around me seemed to waver and distort, the walls bending and twisting as if mocking my sense of reality. my vision blurred and sharpened erratically, making it difficult to distinguish what was real and what was a product of my racing mind.