The first thing Aarav noticed… was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The wrong kind.
The kind where even the wind forgets to breathe.
It was past midnight.
Aarav wasn't supposed to be here.
The narrow forest path stretched endlessly ahead, swallowed by darkness. His phone had died an hour ago, and the only light came from the pale moon hanging like a cracked eye in the sky.
"Great," he muttered. "Lost. At midnight. In a forest. Classic horror movie start."
No answer.
Not even an echo.
That was the problem.
He stopped walking.
Something felt off.
No insects.No leaves rustling.No distant dogs barking.
Nothing.
It was like the world had been muted.
Then—
He saw her.
At first, he thought she was a shadow.
A figure standing between the trees, unnaturally still.
Too still.
Then she stepped forward.
And the darkness seemed to move away from her.
A girl.
About his age.
Long black hair, slightly messy, falling over her face. Her dress was simple—old-fashioned, almost like something from another time.
But it wasn't her appearance that made Aarav's chest tighten.
It was her eyes.
They weren't scared.
They weren't surprised.
They were… tired.
Like she had seen this moment happen a thousand times before.
"You shouldn't be here," she said softly.
Her voice didn't echo either.
Aarav forced a laugh. "Yeah, I figured that out already. Got lost."
She shook her head.
"No… I mean here."
A chill ran down his spine.
"Okay… that's not creepy at all," he said. "Who are you?"
For a moment, she didn't answer.
She just looked at him.
Not at him—
Through him.
Like she was memorizing his existence.
Then she asked something strange.
"Do you believe in witches?"
Aarav blinked.
"…What?"
He almost laughed again, but something in her expression stopped him.
She wasn't joking.
"No," he said finally. "I believe in getting home alive. That's about it."
For the first time, something like sadness flickered across her face.
"I see."
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then she stepped closer.
And for some reason—
Aarav didn't step back.
"If I tell you the truth," she said quietly, "you won't remember it tomorrow."
He frowned. "What does that mean?"
She looked up at the moon.
For a brief second, the light around her… distorted.
Like reality itself hesitated.
Then she said:
"Because the world doesn't allow me to exist."
Aarav stared at her.
"…Right," he said slowly. "You're messing with me."
"I'm not."
Another step closer.
Now she was only a few feet away.
Close enough for him to see the faint scars on her hands.
Close enough to feel—
Cold.
Not the temperature.
Something deeper.
"Listen carefully," she said.
Her voice dropped, almost a whisper.
"You met me tonight."
A pause.
"You talked to me."
Another pause.
"And tomorrow…"
Her eyes locked onto his.
"You will forget me."
Aarav let out a breath.
"Yeah, that's not happening."
For the first time—
She smiled.
Not happily.
Not warmly.
But like someone who already knew the ending.
"Everyone says that," she whispered.
The wind suddenly returned.
Violently.
Trees shook.
Leaves scattered.
The silence shattered.
Aarav flinched—
And for a split second—
He looked away.
Just a second.
But when he looked back—
She was gone.
No footsteps.
No sound.
No trace.
Just empty forest.
"…Hello?" Aarav called out.
No response.
He stood there for a long time.
Heart pounding.
Trying to make sense of what just happened.
Finally, he shook his head.
"Okay… yeah. Definitely dreaming."
And yet—
As he turned to leave—
He noticed something strange.
On his hand—
A faint mark.
Like someone had drawn a symbol into his skin.
Three lines.
Crossing each other.
He didn't remember getting it.
And for some reason—
Looking at it made his chest tighten.
As if…
He had already forgotten something important.