The Photograph

In a remote village, there was a legend about a cursed photograph. It was said that anyone who looked at it would see a shadowy figure behind them in every reflection from that moment on. One evening, a man named Peter found the photograph in an old, dusty attic. Curious, he examined it, noticing nothing unusual—just an empty room. Shrugging it off, he went about his evening. Later, as he brushed his teeth, Peter glanced in the bathroom mirror and froze. Behind him stood a dark, featureless figure. He spun around, but the room was empty. Heart pounding, he checked every room in his house, finding no one. That night, Peter barely slept, haunted by the figure's presence in every reflective surface. Days turned into weeks, and the figure never left him. It grew closer and more defined with each passing day. Peter's friends noticed his gaunt appearance and paranoid behavior, but he couldn't bring himself to explain. One night, unable to bear it any longer, Peter smashed every mirror in his house. As he shattered the last one, he felt a cold breath on his neck. "Thank you for setting me free," a voice whispered. Peter's heart stopped as he realized the figure was no longer confined to reflections. He turned slowly, facing the now very real entity standing before him.

The last thing Peter saw was the photograph, lying on the floor, now showing an empty room once more.