Mirror Image – Part 2: “The Silent Twin”

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Months passed since Aadi replaced Aarav.

To the world, nothing had changed.

Same face. Same voice. Same school uniform.

But Gauri knew — something sinister now lived inside her house.

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Aadi never slept.

At night, she would see him just standing at the end of her bed, staring.

He never blinked.

He never aged.

And sometimes... he spoke to himself — or someone she couldn't see.

The house had grown colder, despite the fire. Mirrors began to fog from the inside, and animals refused to enter.

One day, Gauri heard a whisper behind her as she was cooking.

A child’s voice:

> "Amma... I'm still here."

She turned — no one.

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Terrified and broken, she returned to the old priest.

He said:

> “The child you raised was taken. The one you buried… only half died.

The body stayed underground. But the soul— it clung to life… like a shadow with a heartbeat.”

There was only one way to end it:

> “Break the mirror.

But not just any mirror — the one where he was born.”

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She searched the attic. Dusty, cold, silent.

At the back, under a white cloth, lay the same ancient mirror.

As she touched it, she saw two reflections — Aadi behind her, smiling.

> “You can’t bring him back,” he whispered.

But Gauri didn’t speak. She lifted the axe she had hidden and struck the mirror.

It shattered.

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The house groaned.

A scream — not from Aadi, but from somewhere deeper — burst through the air.

Aadi fell to the ground, motionless.

The fire in the hearth blew out.

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When he opened his eyes...

He was Aarav.

Tears rolled down his face as he hugged his mother.

“Amma… I was lost… he kept me locked… I could see everything, but I couldn’t move…”

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But all was not well.

That night, Gauri looked into the bathroom mirror.

And behind her, in the shadows,

a second boy stood.

Smiling.

Unblinking.

Waiting.

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To be continued...?

Would you like a Part 3? Or shall I turn this into a novella or screenplay format?