Night Time Story: The Girl in the Photo
Emma found the photograph in the attic.
It was old, the edges curled and yellowed with time. A group of children stood in front of a wooden house, their clothes from a time long past. They were smiling, except for one girl in the back.
Her face was blurred.
“Strange,” Emma murmured, turning it over. No name. No date.
She placed it on her desk and forgot about it—until the next day.
When she looked again, the girl wasn’t in the background anymore.
She was closer.
Emma’s breath caught. Had she imagined it?
The following morning, the girl had moved again. This time, she was in the front row. Her blurred face was almost clear.
Emma’s hands shook. She shoved the photo in a drawer.
That night, she dreamed of a whisper.
“Let me in.”
She woke up sweating. Heart racing.
Slowly, she turned to her desk.
The photo was sitting on top again.
The girl was now alone in the picture.
Smiling.
And behind Emma…
A shadow moved.
By Marianne Willow
