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In Spirit

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My sister, Rana, always struggled with strange experiences. She would often drift off mid-conversation and begin to wander off as if our discussions never even happened; on other occasions, we’d find her sleepwalking past locked doors. While these were not frequent at first, they became a common occurrence as she grew older. Grandma insisted that it was possession and said she needed to call her witch friend, Mina, but she was alone in her belief. My parents made an appointment for Rana with a specialist, but the treatment only seemed to work for a couple of days before she returned to her routine. Mom and Dad spent weeks checking with different doctors, but it was to no avail. Rana’s sleepwalking only escalated as time passed. One night, Mom put the door keys in a new safe she bought, but the next morning, she woke up to find the safe broken into and the front door fully open. Rana was thankfully not missing, and without harm; however, that same morning, we heard alarming news that ma...
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The Forgotten Ones

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I once saw the god Anu in a TV series when I was six and was devastated when he was killed off. He was my favourite character, and I wished so badly for his return in the series that I even prayed for it. Two weeks passed with me wishing for Anu’s return, and he indeed did appear in the series once again, but something was off… ​ It seemed that I was the only one who could see Anu in the series. My parents paid no attention to it; they probably assumed it was simply my imagination. However, things became weirder as the months progressed, as I started seeing Anu in various other TV series, and even in cartoons. I brought this up with my parents, yet they shrugged it off the same as before, saying I was just too attached to the character. I almost believed them, but deep down, I knew there was more to it than that. ​ As I grew older, however, my interests shifted, and I slowly forgot about the character I once adored. By the time I was in university, he was but a distant memory. However,...
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The Pony Friend

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The day after my parents and I returned home from our trip to the countryside, I pleaded with them to get me a pony. The pony rides were truly an enthralling experience—one that I wished I could live through every day. My parents were hesitant at first, but they finally said they’d give me a pony. However, weeks turned into months, and I eventually wrote to Santa, requesting one for Christmas. The next morning, I woke up to my parents yelling outside. I rushed to the porch to see what the commotion was and found myself stupefied upon seeing a fire-breathing pony galloping around the garden. The second the pony saw me, however, it stopped running and slowly approached me. My parents stood in front of me, blocking its path, but I snuck past them to greet my new friend. The pony had a string chain around its neck, and to it was attached an envelope that was addressed to me. I undid the strings and opened the envelope; my eyes widened as I read the letter in it. Dear Alina, Thank you so mu...
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Monster Friend

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My twin sister, Annie, always complained about monsters being under her bed and asked my parents to chase them away. She would often scream, making me lose sleep every day since we shared the same bedroom. One day, I decided to sleep under her bed to get her to stop complaining. Annie pleaded with me not to do it, but I said I’d prove to her that there was nothing to worry about. Grabbing my pillow and blanket, I crawled into that narrow space and stared up into the darkness. It wasn’t long before I was beginning to fall asleep, but I was suddenly jolted by movement next to me. I turned to my left and found myself stupefied at the sight before me: it was a humanoid girl no bigger than me, but her skin was pale blue, and she had a third eye on her forehead. I was about to scream when the girl covered my mouth and shook her head. “Please don’t make me hide; I mean you no harm.” There was a tremble in both her voice and her hands. My instincts told me I could trust her, so I nodded and mo...
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Eternal Paths

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Life always seemed to show me two choices since I was a child, appearing before me as blue and red streaks of light that diverged from where I stood. They were nothing but a haze at first and only became clear when I became ten years old. I asked Mom what it meant, and she said it was a gift that was unique to our family—one that very few inherited. Mom herself did not possess the gift, but she said that Grandma did. If only she were still around… Grandma passed away when Mom was a teen. Making decisions was simple: stepping on the blue streak allowed me to see into the future and learn all the steps I needed to take to succeed in everything I do. I always went with blue as it seemed the safest choice. I dared not take the red path, but I always wondered whether it was truly the wrong path. Perhaps it was just a bolder choice? My curiosity lingered, and it grew as the years passed by. In time, I studied hard and aced all my exams. Soon, I was in one of the best universities in the coun...
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Curse and Blessing

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I lost my mom in a car crash last year when I was just twelve, and I’ve been living with my grandma ever since. The last thing I remembered was laughing at one of Mom’s jokes before our car veered off the road; that was before I woke up at Grandma’s house a week later. She said I was briefly conscious before being discharged from the hospital, but I couldn’t remember anything in between. I wished I could’ve said Grandma’s house had seen better days, but even when I was six, I remember the place needing more care. She was in her late seventies and barely had the energy to move around, let alone clean. I never knew why Mom and I never lived with Grandma, given that we were all she had. It was a topic that was avoided a couple of times when I brought it up. I didn’t even feel a year pass after the accident. Grandma made sure I had everything I needed, and for some reason, I always felt like Mom was also with us, as if she never really left. Meanwhile, school was always tough. I found it d...
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(Re)Liability

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After years of saving up money, I finally managed to buy a house for myself. Fully furnished, and with cutting-edge AI, it was worth every penny. What rivalled the house’s ingenuity was its location: placed atop a hill overlooking a river, it was a magnificent sight to wake up to every day. I barely had to lift a finger from that day onward: the AI took care of all my chores and even offered to help me with my work. I allowed it to take full control of everything, and at the time, it felt like the best decision I could’ve ever made. All functions that I wanted to hold at my house were organised by the AI; it took care of everything, from food and drink preferences to available transport options for attendees. My peers were baffled by the accuracy and efficiency of the AI’s operations, and some even asked if I’d be willing to sell them the house. I couldn’t even dream of doing such a thing. In the year that followed, I left my job at the time and started a business with a group of frien...
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