Vision in Red by Sajjad Rasool - HTML preview

Children of Olive

Stone wall. Wooden peg. Abaya.

The reflection was showing a different reality. Or maybe... an older reality.

And in the mirror, she saw something else.

Moving in the reflection of the stone corridor, walking toward her "reflection self," was a shadow.

It was one of Them. A Tall One.

It wasn't looking at the Amal in the mirror. It was looking out. It was looking through the glass, straight at the real Amal.

It stopped. Its red eyes flared.

It raised a hand and tapped on the glass.

Tink. Tink. Tink.

Amal heard the sound. Not in her head. In the hallway.

The sound came from the glass itself. A physical vibration.

The creature was knocking. From the inside.

Amal screamed —a strangled, choked sound—and threw the scarf over the mirror.

She backed away, stumbling, until she hit the opposite wall. She stared at the covered mirror.

The knocking stopped.

But she could feel the presence behind the cloth. Waiting. Watching.

"Mama?"

The voice came from Noor's room. Small. Sleepy.

Amal froze. She forced her breathing to steady. She forced her face into a mask of calm.

"I'm here, habibti," she called out. "Go back to sleep."

"I heard knocking."

"It was just... the wind. Go back to sleep."

Amal waited until she heard the rustle of sheets settling. Then she walked to her bedroom. She moved like a robot. Every step was a battle against the urge to run.

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