Stranger in the reflection

"Do you truly know yourself, or are you just a mask concealing who you really are?"

 

On a calm, sunny afternoon, as the final bell echoed through the halls of St. Aldenburg University, students flooded out of their classrooms, eager to leave for the day. Tyler and his friends lingered near the college grounds.

"I have to admit," Tyler remarked, glancing at his friends, "Mrs. Maximoff made Biomechanics actually make sense today."

"Did you see the way Mrs. Maximoff explained those angles?" Jake said, grinning. "I actually understood something for once!"

"Yeah, too bad you still can’t draw a triangle," Peter teased, elbowing Jake in the ribs.

"Better than your drawing, Peter," Tyler chimed in, trying to defend Jake.

Peter rolled his eyes dramatically. "Please, Tyler, your math skills are as impressive as your fashion sense. What is that shirt? Did you lose a bet?"

Tyler forced a laugh, "At least it’s not as bland as your wardrobe."

Peter replied, smirking. "But really, Tyler, I think you should take Mrs. Maximoff’s class on style. You could use some tips on looking less like a walking laundry basket."

Tyler held back a grin, trying to remain unbothered. "I appreciate the concern, Peter, but I think I'm fine."

"Fine? You’re not even fine; you’re the reason they put ‘before’ pictures in fashion magazines!" Peter shot back.

Jake chuckled, watching Tyler endure the roast with a smile. "Come on, man, you’re supposed to fight back!"

Tyler simply rejected, a smile creeping onto his face despite the teasing. "You do you, Peter."

Peter laughed, clearly enjoying himself, while Tyler remained the calm center in the storm of insults.

As everyone made their way toward home, Tyler felt a wave of relief.

While on his way home, Tyler’s gaze fell upon a puddle reflecting the bright sky. He leaned down to tie his shoe, but as he looked at the water, he froze. There was a figure in the reflection—a tall, thin figure with hollow eyes. It wasn’t his shadow.

Startled, Tyler stepped back. Shaking it off, he quickened his pace, convincing himself it was a trick of the light.

But over the next few days, the figure appeared again. Not just in puddles, but in windows, mirrors, even in the shiny surface of his phone screen. It was always the same—Tall, thin, and hollow-eyed, standing just far enough away to send a chill down Tyler’s spine, and each time it was bigger. The figure never spoke, never moved, but each time Tyler saw him, a growing sense of dread gripped him. It was as though the figure knew something terrible was coming, something inevitable.

Tyler tried to avoid reflective surfaces altogether. He would look away from windows and avoid mirrors at home. But no matter what he did, the figure appeared more frequently, always a little closer. Tyler lost his patience, his paranoia deepened, and he began to wonder, was this some kind of manifestation of his own guilt? A punishment for something he had buried deep in his past?

Memories surfaced, ones Tyler tried to forget. A moment years ago when he had wronged someone, a secret he’d kept hidden. Could this figure be the incarnation of that guilt, coming back to haunt him?

The more Tyler thought about it, the worse his nightmares became. He would wake up soaked in sweat, unable to shake the image of those hollow eyes watching him, waiting.

Then one night, as he stood in front of his bathroom mirror, washing his face, he looked up and saw the figure standing directly behind him. But this time, it didn’t stay in the reflection. Slowly, it stepped out of the mirror and into the room, coming towards him.

Tyler stumbled back, heart pounding. He was face to face with the figure, and in that moment, he realized,it wasn’t a stranger at all. IT WAS HIM. A darker, twisted version of himself. A version that had been created over the years, out of his suppressed rage, guilt, and fear. The figure wasn’t just watching him,it had come to replace him.

As the reflection reached out, Tyler knew that his darker self had finally caught up. And no matter how hard he had tried to run, there was no escaping what was inside him.

"What if the figure in the reflection isn't a stranger, but the darkest parts of you waiting to emerge?......So, ask yourself: what are you hiding in your reflection, and how long before it catches up to you?"