whispers of a forgotten soul

I stood frozen, my body trembling as the words echoed in my ear " she is watching you" . My heart pounded so loud that l thought the cave walls might echo it back. The flashlight lay lifeless at my feet , swallowed by the shadows and l couldn't even find the courage to pick it up.

Who's watching me ??? . I said it to myself.

The cold that clung to my skin wasn't natural. It's wasn't just the chill of the cave. It felt .... personal. Like fingers brushing over my neck.

Suddenly my phone buzzed in my hand. I glanced down - a new message had appeared. No number . No name . Just one sentence:

"Don't turn around. "

I blinked, my throat tightening. My breathing grew shallow as another buzz came through:

"She sees you now "

My thumb hovered over the screen as l stared at those words " she sees you now ".l didn't want to turn . Every bone in my body screamed don't. But something deeper,something darker- pulled at me. A whisper not from the outside but inside me.

Turn around.

I did .

Slowly.

The beam from my phone's lights barely reached past my shoulder , but it was enough. Enough to see her.

A figure stood just beyond the beam, where the light blurred into shadows . Not moving . Not breathing. Wearing a pale ,tattered dress that clung to her like it had been soaked in sorrow. Her long black hair hung limp and wet , and her face - her face.

It wasn't clear. It was like fog and memory, shifting with every blink. But l could feel her eyes locked on me . Cold , hungry, hollow eyes that saw straight through skin and bone.

I stumbled backward, my breath caught somewhere between a scream and a sob. But she didn't move.

And then..... she smiled.

Not with kindness.

Not with comfort.

But with recognition.

Little she knew me.

Like we had met before.

The walls breathed. The darkness throbbed like a second heartbeat.

Then the cave vanished.

Just ..... gone.

I was standing at the same place but the air was warmer , scented with smoke and something sweet..... like burnt roses. A different time . A different world.

Before me stood a girl. Not the ghost. Not quite .

She was alive.

Her eyes weren't hollow....they were burning , full of tears and furry. She reached out to me , grabbing my wrist, and whispered through clinched teeth:

"You promised. "

The word echoed in my skull, splitting it into two. I tried to speak but my throat burned. I looked down - our wrist were bleeding. Tied together with red-thread. A vow. A curse.

She was me

Or....l was her.

My vision blurred . The world cracked like glass. I fell and slammed back into my body in the cave. Gasping.

The ghost was gone . The cave was silent again. My flashlight buzzed weakly back to life. I shined it around, trembling. The shadows crept back into their corners. She had vanished.

But something was left behind.

A single item sat where she had been standing - a delicate, porcelain mask, cracked down the centre with smudges of what looked like old blood around the eyes.

Beneath it .... a note written in the same red ink as before :

"You broke the vow now remember ".