Episode 3

The Message

Meera couldn't sleep that night.

The mysterious message kept replaying in her mind.

"I found you."

"The girl is waiting for you."

Who sent it?

And how did they know about her dream?

She checked her phone again.

No new messages.

Finally, sometime after midnight, she fell asleep.

---

Rain poured from the dark sky.

Meera stood alone on a deserted road.

The same dream.

The same place.

The same feeling.

This time, however, something was different.

The girl standing in the distance slowly turned around.

For the first time, Meera could see her face.

Her heart stopped.

The girl looked exactly like her.

The same eyes.

The same hair.

The same face.

"Who are you?" Meera shouted.

The girl smiled sadly.

"Find me."

Before Meera could move, everything disappeared.

---

Meera woke up, breathing heavily.

The alarm clock showed 6:00 AM.

"It was her..." she whispered.

"It was really her."

Her phone suddenly buzzed.

A new message.

From the unknown number.

Unknown Number: Did you see her face?

Meera froze.

How could they know what happened in her dream?

With trembling fingers, she typed a reply.

Meera: Who are you?

No answer.

Meera: What do you want?

Still nothing.

---

At school, Meera immediately told Aishu and Josh everything.

"What?!" Aishu nearly shouted.

"The girl looked exactly like you?"

Meera nodded.

Josh looked serious.

"This is getting strange."

"That's not all."

Meera showed them the messages.

Aishu's eyes widened.

"Okay... now I'm officially scared."

Josh carefully read each message.

"Maybe someone is playing a prank."

"No prankster can see my dreams," Meera replied.

Neither of them had an answer.

---

After classes ended, the three friends decided to investigate.

The unknown number was their only clue.

Josh tried calling it.

The call failed immediately.

"Number unavailable," he said.

Aishu frowned.

"That's creepy."

As they continued walking, Meera noticed something.

At the end of the street stood an old bookstore.

She had never been there before.

Yet it felt familiar.

Very familiar.

"I've seen that place."

Aishu looked confused.

"When?"

"I don't know."

Josh followed her gaze.

"Want to check it out?"

Meera hesitated.

Then nodded.

---

The bookstore was small and dusty.

Old books filled every shelf.

An elderly man stood behind the counter.

The moment he saw Meera, his expression changed.

Almost as if he recognized her.

"You..." he whispered.

Meera stepped closer.

"Do you know me?"

The old man stared at her for several seconds.

Then he shook his head.

"No."

But his voice sounded uncertain.

"You look exactly like someone I knew many years ago."

Meera's heartbeat quickened.

"Who?"

Before the man could answer, the lights suddenly flickered.

The room went dark for a second.

When the lights returned, a photograph had fallen from a nearby shelf.

Meera picked it up.

Her hands began to shake.

The picture showed a young girl.

A girl who looked exactly like her.

And standing beside the girl was the same woman Meera had seen across the street yesterday.

At the bottom of the photograph were four words written in faded ink:

"Don't let her remember."

To be continued...

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