★ It all began with a 14-year-old girl named Priya. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, she had moved to Madhya Pradesh for her studies. She lived with her family, which included six sisters and one brother.
Priya was stubborn, quick-tempered, and restless—she never listened to anyone. But everything changed one day. Something happened that shattered her world completely,Priya was about to turn 15, and summer vacation had already begun at her school. She wanted to take a break and go somewhere, thinking, "It's been so long, I need to travel." The very next day, she told her father that she wanted to go to Uttar Pradesh. At first, her father refused, but after all the children insisted, he finally agreed.
The next day, everyone got ready, and they set off for Uttar Pradesh. Upon reaching, they all went to her grandmother's house. Her grandmother's house was very old, almost like a haunted mansion. Inside that mansion, many secrets were buried…As soon as the door of Grandma's house opened, a cold gust of wind brushed across everyone's faces. Inside the house, there was a faint musty smell, and old photographs hung on the walls—some of the faces in them had faded with time.
Priya looked around, and a strange uneasiness began to grow inside her. The other kids started playing in the courtyard, but Priya's attention kept drifting toward the upper floor. There was a room there that was always kept locked.
In the evening, Priya asked her grandmother about that room. Her grandmother's face suddenly turned serious. In a low voice, she said,
"Never ask about that room… and never go there."
That was it—those words got stuck in Priya's mind. Being told not to go there only made her want to go even more.
That night, everyone went to sleep, but Priya couldn't. Around midnight, she felt like she heard footsteps coming from upstairs… thak… thak… thak…
Her heart started beating fast, but her curiosity was stronger than her fear. Slowly, she got out of bed and walked toward the staircase. Every step made a creaking sound.
When she reached upstairs, she saw something strange—the door of the locked room was slightly open… even though Grandma had said it was always shut.
Inside the room, it was dark. Gathering courage, Priya pushed the door open a little more. She saw an old mirror, a broken chair, and in the corner, a large wooden trunk.
As she moved closer to the trunk, she felt as if someone whispered her name from behind—
"Priya…"
She turned around suddenly… but no one was there.
With trembling hands, she opened the trunk. Inside was an old diary wrapped in red cloth… and on the very first page it was written:
"This is the story of a girl who never managed to leave this house…"
Priya's hands turned cold. Because inside the diary, there was a photograph…
And the girl in the picture looked exactly like her.Priya's fingers were trembling. Slowly, she turned the next page of the diary.
The moment she flipped the page… the room's door slammed shut on its own.
Priya gasped in shock. She turned around to look at the door — it was now tightly closed. The air had gone completely still. The room felt suffocating.
The diary's pages began flipping by themselves…
Flap… flap… flap…
Then they stopped on one page.
Written in crooked, uneven letters were the words:
"You have come back…"
Priya's breath caught in her throat.
"B-back? This is my first time here…" she whispered.
Suddenly, the old mirror in the room shook with a sharp tak sound.
Priya's eyes moved toward the mirror… and her heart nearly stopped.
In the mirror… she was not standing alone.
Behind her… there was another shadowy figure.
Long hair, head bent down… wearing the exact same clothes as the girl in the photograph.
Terrified, Priya turned around—
The room was empty.
But in the mirror… the figure was still there.
Slowly… it began to lift its head.
It was as if fingers were being dragged from inside the mirror… lines formed across the foggy surface.
And from those lines, words appeared:
"You have come to take my place…"
"N-no…" Priya could barely get the words out.
Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped even more. Her breath turned visible like mist. Behind her, the wooden trunk slammed shut on its own with a krrr sound.
And then…
Footsteps began coming from the direction of the stairs.
Slow… dragging…
Thak… ghas… thak… ghas…
Someone was coming upstairs.
But everyone in the house was asleep downstairs.
The footsteps stopped right outside the door.
From the crack under the door… the shadow of someone's feet became visible.
Then came three knocks on the door—
Knock… knock… knock…
The diary opened on its own one last time.
A new line appeared on the page… as if someone had just written it:
"Do not open the door now… no matter who is outside… even if it calls you in your mother's voice…"
At that exact moment, a voice came from outside—
"Priya beta… open the door… it's me…"
It was her mother's voice.
But… from downstairs, she could suddenly hear her real mother talking in her sleep.
Priya understood.
Whatever was outside the door…
was not her mother.
And slowly… the door handle began to turn on its own…