Secrets in the Silver Mirror : Chapter 4

The next morning, Sarah felt like she was living in a dream—a strange, unsettling dream she couldn’t wake from. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the shadowy figure from Ravenwood staring back at her, his eyes filled with a silent plea. His words echoed in her mind: “Find me… before it’s too late.”

Determined to make sense of it, she returned to her grandmother’s attic, her heart pounding as she faced the mirror again. This time, it felt colder, as if the glass itself were a window into a different world. She hesitated, then took a deep breath and leaned closer, her reflection swimming in the dim light.

“Who are you?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “What do you want from me?”

For a moment, there was only silence, her own reflection staring back. But then, the surface of the mirror began to ripple, like water disturbed by a stone. Her reflection wavered, and suddenly, the shadowy figure appeared behind her. This time, he was clearer—a young man, his face pale and eyes hollow, as if he’d been trapped somewhere beyond reach for a very long time.

“Help me,” he murmured, his voice filling her mind. “Please… you’re the only one who can.”

Her hands trembled as she watched him, unable to look away. “How? What am I supposed to do?”

He looked at her, desperation filling his gaze, and then, suddenly, she saw his hand rise, pointing to something behind her. Sarah spun around, heart racing, but the attic was empty. Just her, surrounded by dusty furniture and forgotten memories. When she turned back to the mirror, the figure had vanished, leaving only her own wide-eyed reflection staring back.

But now, there was something different. Carved faintly into the glass, where the man’s hand had pointed, was a series of numbers: 1894.

Sarah quickly scribbled the numbers into her notebook, her mind racing. 1894. The date seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place it. And as she stared at the numbers, a shiver ran through her. What if this was another clue, another piece of the strange puzzle Ravenwood had set for her?

Unable to shake her curiosity, she spent the rest of the day at the local library, combing through records and archives. Hours passed, and just as she was about to give up, she found it—a faded newspaper article from the year 1894. The headline read: Tragedy at Ravenwood Estate: Heir Disappears Without a Trace.

The article detailed the mysterious disappearance of Nathaniel Ravenscroft, the only heir to the Ravenwood Estate, who had vanished one night without a single clue left behind. His family searched for him for years, but he was never found. Local rumors spoke of strange occurrences at the estate after his disappearance—shadows at the windows, whispers in the halls.

Sarah’s heart raced as she read. Could Nathaniel Ravenscroft be the figure in the mirror? But if he was truly trapped somewhere, how could she help him?

Just then, she felt an icy chill run through her, a sudden sense that someone—or something—was watching her. She looked up from the article, but the library was empty. Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t alone.

As she left the library, the air seemed thick with a strange tension, as though the shadows themselves were alive, following her. She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting to see Nathaniel’s ghostly figure trailing behind. But there was nothing—just the fading light of the evening and a creeping darkness that seemed to press closer with every step.

One thought echoed in her mind: What if he isn’t the only one trapped? What if there are others… waiting for someone to uncover their secrets?

And with that, Sarah knew her journey into the mirror’s dark mysteries had only just begun.