“Why not 3 times?” “You’ll see.”
I was over at my friend, Annie’s house for the weekend. My parents were out of town, and considering my mom is best friends with Annie’s, she trusted me to stay over at her house for the time being.
We were in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. The lights were dim and her parents were asleep.
I looked at myself in the mirror, my flaming red locks of hair draped over my shoulders. We were brushing our teeth, getting ready to go to bed.
“Okay, i’m done.” I said. Annie nodded in agreement. I was about to step out, when all of a sudden she bowed her head, brought her hands together, and clapped twice, chanting the anthem:
“Clap once, clap twice But just don’t clap three times. For whatever you see, Will never be nice.”
“What the hell was that?” I asked, taken aback, I figured it was one of her pranks but it spooked me anyway. She turned around and faced me.
“Ever since i was younger, my mom always made me do that ritual in the mirror right before i went to bed. I never questioned it. Make sure never to do it, though… don’t clap three times, okay?”She sounded so calm as she said it, so serene.
I was creeped out, but i tried to hide it. “Oh, okay. Can we just go to bed now?” I said, my voice shaking slightly.
I tossed and turned all night, thinking about what she chanted:
“Clap once, Clap twice, But just don’t clap three times. For whatever you see, Will never be nice.”
I abruptly got out of bed, making sure she was fast asleep, and sneaked back into the bathroom. I was curious: Was this just a stupid prank?
Who am i kidding, of course it is. But the little part of doubt in me decided to go and do it just to cure my paranoia so i could finally get some sleep.
I went into the bathroom, softly closing the door behind me. I stared deep into the mirror. And before i knew it, i was lifting my hands up to clap. I closed my eyes and I took a deep breath..
One.
Clap
Two.
Clap
….
Three. Cla-
drop. drop. drop.
Before i could finish my third clap, i started to hear the wet dripping of some sort of liquid, in the near distance. I assumed it was just the faucet or the shower. I slowly opened my eyes, but what i saw was nothing but darkness.
Is this a prank? did she sneak in here and shut off the lights?
I put my arms in front of me, searching for the light switch, when i saw a faint light in the distance. And that’s when i realized that i was not in the bathroom anymore.
I walked towards the source cautiously, confused. When i realized that the light, was coming from.. The bathroom?
As i walked on and on, i began to realize that i was walking closer and close to the bathroom. The dripping sound slowly became louder and louder, as i finally approached the shower. I this was where the dripping was coming from.
I abruptly pulled open the curtain, but what i saw shocked me.
The dripping.. was coming from me.
I was hanging from the shower head, a noose tying my neck tightly to it. My face wasn’t visible, as my blood stained hair draped over it like a curtain. My limp, pale body laid hanging, softly swaying back and forth. A knife was struck right through my heart, and blood was dripping out of the would, softly hitting the bottom of the bath, creating a pool out from under my body. Parts of my flesh were tore off in chunks and all of my fingers and toes were chopped off. i was long gone. My heart started beating like crazy as i watched my dead body in third person, from this weird realm that i had entered. Wait, am i… in heaven? No, i can’t be. This is a pitiless abyss.. I slowly turned around, and looked at the mirror that i had chanted in, only to realize it was gone. There was no mirror. only the sink and the countertops, but the old mirror was nowhere to be seen. I yanked open the door knob and went to go make sure that Annie was okay, still numb in shock from what i just saw, unable to process. But what i saw shocked me more.
On the headboard, wrote in sloppy, fresh blood, the words “i warned you.” And on the ceiling fan above me, was my best friend. Annie was hanging from the ceiling fan, her head propped up. Her eyes had popped out of their sockets, laying lifeless atop her cheeks. Her skin was a disturbing gray, all possible traces of life gone. she was tied to the fan in a crucified manner, her limp wrists tight tightly together and then hung from the base of the fan. So much of the flesh from her legs and arms was tore off to the point where you could see her muscles, veins, and bones twisting out like loose cords. Her lifeless body swayed back and forth.
I didn’t cry, or move, or react. I just stood there and watched my best friend hang murdered, moments before i saw my own lifeless body. I was watching all of this in the third person.
It wasn’t until then when i looked down at my hands and saw that they were entirely made out of glass. The same, pitiful, stained glass that the very mirror was made out of. Through my glass made hands i saw the reflection of my face, except there isn’t one. My entire face was ripped off and all i saw were the mushy remains of my decayed skull and brain, and all of the broken tendons and nerves.
This must be some sort of nightmare.
All of a sudden, my eyes burst open. To my greater relief, it was just a really messed up dream. But i definetly remember going up to the mirror, how was i back in the bed?
I turned around to face Annie. To my surprise, she was staring straight at me. She had a sinister looking smile and her eyes were open wide, almost bulging out of her head.
I told you not to clap three times, didn’t i?