Morning came like a stranger.The kind that knocks softly, waits for you to open the door, and then slips away before you can ask why it came at all.
Aarohi woke up to the faint sound of rain on her balcony. The city outside was still half asleep — a dull, grey world that smelled of wet dust and unspoken things.
Her head ached.Dreams always left her with that hollow pain behind her eyes — like she had lived another life in her sleep.
She sat up slowly. The black feather still lay on her desk. It hadn't vanished. It hadn't blown away. It was real.
For a moment, she just stared at it. The edges shimmered faintly, as if it absorbed the light instead of reflecting it.
"You'll forget me again…"
The words echoed faintly in her mind, but she couldn't place the voice. It was like trying to remember a song you heard in a dream — familiar yet unreachable.
She whispered to herself, "Forget who?"
Later That Day
Her best friend, Rhea, dropped by with coffee and her usual chaos.Rhea was the kind of person who could talk sunlight into a room — bright, alive, loud.
"Girl, you look like you wrestled with a ghost," Rhea said, flopping onto the couch.Aarohi smirked weakly. "More like a nightmare."
"Again?" Rhea frowned. "You've been having those for weeks now. Maybe you should see someone—"
"I'm fine."
The tone was sharper than she intended. Aarohi sighed, rubbing her temples. "Sorry. It's just… they feel too real sometimes."
Rhea sipped her coffee. "What do you dream about?"
Aarohi hesitated. Then, quietly, "A man. I never see his face clearly. Just his eyes. Black, completely black."
Rhea blinked. "Creepy."
"Not creepy," Aarohi said softly. "Just… sad. Like he's trying to tell me something."
Rhea leaned back. "Okay, well, if a hot ghost starts texting you, promise me you'll call a priest before you flirt back."
Aarohi laughed — but it faded quickly.Because just then, her phone vibrated.A new message. No name. No number.
"He's waiting again."
Aarohi's fingers trembled."Rhea," she said quietly, turning the screen toward her. "Look at this."
But before Rhea could read it, the text disappeared.Gone — just like last time.
"Are you messing with me?" Rhea asked, half-joking.
Aarohi didn't answer. Her throat was dry. "No. I swear it was there."
Rhea sighed. "Okay. You're officially creeping me out. Maybe it's stress. You've been working nonstop. Go out tonight, get some air."
Aarohi nodded absently. But her gaze was fixed on the window.Outside, in the reflection of the glass — just for a second — she thought she saw him.Standing under the rain. Watching her.
That Night
She couldn't sleep.Her apartment felt too quiet, too still. Even the ticking of the clock seemed slower, heavier.
So she opened her laptop and started going through her photo files — anything to distract herself.But in one of the folders, she found a picture she didn't remember taking.
A narrow alley. Dim light. And at the far end — a tall shadowed figure.His head tilted slightly, as if he was looking right at her through the screen.
She zoomed in. The pixels broke apart, but the eyes — those black, empty eyes — didn't blur.
Her breath hitched. She checked the photo details.Date taken: Last night.Time: 03:03 a.m.
But she hadn't been awake then.
The Voice Returns
The lights flickered.Her laptop screen dimmed.And then — the voice.
"Aarohi."
She froze. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest.
"You looked for me."
"Who are you?" she whispered, her voice shaking.
A faint breath of wind moved through the room, even though every window was closed.
"You called me once, a long time ago."
"I didn't—"
"You did. You just don't remember."
Her fingers clutched the feather on her desk, and for the first time, it felt warm — alive.
"I can't stay long," the voice said softly."But when the moon turns red again, you'll see me."
"What are you talking about?"
Silence.
Then a whisper — right behind her ear:
"The storm remembers what you've forgotten."
The lamp flickered and burst. The room plunged into darkness.Aarohi turned — but there was no one there.
Only the faint smell of rain.
And on her camera screen — now flickering by itself —a single picture appeared.
Her — standing in that field from her dream.And beside her…him.