Awakening the Reflection

You know that feeling? When you wake up, but you're not quite alone. Last night,

I felt it. The house was perfectly still, no wind outside, no cars.

Just the rhythmic tick of the grandfather clock in the hall. And a faint, uneven breathing.

Not mine. It echoed, soft and shallow, from the dark, polished surface

of the old hallway mirror. My heart hammered against my ribs. I slowly walked

towards it, my own reflection shimmering back. As I reached it, my reflection's

eyes shifted, just a fraction, then slowly closed. A breath held. Then they snapped

open, wider than my own, and it grinned. A perfect, silent smile.