The idea wouldn't leave my mind.
The shadow…
Was the missing child.
The next day, Meera looked quieter than usual.
"I keep hearing a voice," she said.
"What does it say?" I asked.
"Don't leave me…"
My heart tightened.
The same words again.
But now—
They sounded like a child's voice.
"Do you remember her face?" I asked.
Meera closed her eyes.
Trying hard.
"Just… short hair," she whispered.
"And she was crying."
Fragments.
Small pieces of memory.
"We need more," I said.
That night—
The dream returned.
The corridor looked clearer.
Less smoke.
More light.
The child stood closer than before.
Meera slowly walked toward her.
"I know you," she whispered.
The child tilted her head.
"You promised…" the voice said again.
Meera's hands trembled.
"I promised what?" she asked.
The child raised her hand.
Suddenly—
A flash appeared.
Two small girls.
Holding hands.
Running in the corridor.
"Stay together," little Meera said.
"I'm scared," the other girl replied.
"I won't leave you," Meera promised.
The memory shattered.
Meera gasped.
"I remember…" she whispered.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I left her."
The shadow moved closer.
"You ran…"
The corridor shook.
"I didn't mean to!" Meera cried.
The shadow stopped.
For a moment—
The darkness faded.
A small girl appeared inside it.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"You didn't come back…"
Meera stepped forward.
"I'm here now," she said softly.
But the lights suddenly went off.
The shadow grew again.
"Too late…"
Everything went black.
I woke up suddenly.
Message from Meera appeared instantly.
"I broke my promise…"
Another message followed.
"And she never left that place."