Nara dropped the photograph.
The paper drifted to the floor and stopped right beside the door to room number 13.
She didn't pick it up right away.
Her eyes remained fixed on the door.
Thirteen little girls.
Every one of them was standing behind her in the photograph.
And the final sentence still lingered clearly in her mind.
The fourteenth is waiting.
Nara drew a deep breath.
"This is impossible."
She tried to convince herself that all of this was merely a trick of the mind.
Exhaustion.
Fear.
An old house.
Buried childhood memories.
Any of them could make someone see something that wasn't really there.
But then she heard a sound.
Creak...
The bedroom door moved on its own.
Nara turned at once.
The door that had been closed all this time slowly opened a few inches.
There was no wind.
The bedroom window was tightly shut.
But the door kept moving.
Creeeeak...
Nara stepped back.
Her hand reached for the doll named Nara on the table.
For some reason, she felt safer holding it.
The door opened wider.
Beyond it was the second-floor hallway.
Dark.
The hallway light flickered.
Nara aimed her phone's flashlight inside.
Empty.
There was no one there.
She let out a relieved breath.
Maybe the hinges really were broken.
Nara was about to close the door.
But before her hand touched the knob...
a small head appeared from behind the door.
Nara flinched.
A little girl stood there.
She looked about seven or eight years old.
Her hair was long and wet.
The white dress she wore looked old, with dirt along the hem.
Her skin was deathly pale.
But her face...
that face was exactly the same as the little girl in the photograph.
Mira.
Nara didn't move.
Neither did the girl.
They stared at each other.
"Mira?"
The girl tilted her head.
As if she were hearing her name from someone she hadn't seen in a very long time.
Then her lips moved.
"Nara."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Nara felt tears running down her cheeks.
"Are you... Mira?"
The girl nodded.
Once.
Nara slowly knelt so they were eye to eye.
"I don't remember you."
Mira stared at her.
"You forgot."
Nara swallowed.
"Why?"
Mira didn't answer.
Instead, she raised her hand.
Her finger pointed toward the space behind Nara.
Toward the table.
Toward the photographs.
Then she said,
"Don't look at their pictures."
Nara turned around.
The photographs that had been scattered across the table were now in different positions.
Every one of them was facedown.
Except one.
The last photograph.
The photograph with the thirteen little girls.
Nara looked back at Mira.
"Who are they?"
Mira began to cry.
Her tears ran down her face but never fell to the floor.
They seemed to disappear before touching her dress.
"They're waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
Mira looked at the doll in Nara's hand.
"Waiting for you to return something."
Nara looked at the doll.
"This?"
Mira nodded.
"It belongs to you."
"But you said earlier that it wasn't."
Mira gave her a sad smile.
"Because you haven't remembered yet."
Suddenly, footsteps sounded in the hallway behind Mira.
Tap...
Mira turned.
Her face filled with fear.
"Nara..."
"What?"
"Don't let her see you."
"Who?"
Mira stepped back.
"Grandma."
Nara froze.
"Grandma Sari?"
Mira shook her head.
No.
Another set of footsteps sounded from the end of the hallway.
Tap... tap... tap...
They were getting closer.
Mira quickly grabbed Nara's hand.
Her hand was ice-cold.
Nara flinched.
"We have to go."
Mira pulled her.
But before they could move, an old woman's voice came from the end of the hallway.
"Nara..."
Nara recognized the voice immediately.
Grandma Sari.
Mira tightened her grip on Nara's hand.
"Don't answer."
The voice came again.
"Nara, come here."
Nara stared at the end of the hallway.
There was no one there.
Yet a shadow slowly appeared on the wall.
The shadow of an old woman.
Tall.
With long hair.
The shadow moved closer.
Mira pulled Nara into the bedroom.
"Don't look!"
The bedroom door slammed shut on its own.
BAM!
Nara gasped for breath.
She looked at Mira.
The girl was already standing in the corner of the room.
"Nara..."
"Yes?"
Mira pointed beneath the bed.
"She knows you're back."
Nara stared at the bed.
"Who?"
Mira didn't answer.
She only gave a small smile.
Then her body slowly faded.
"Wait!"
Nara ran toward her.
But Mira had already vanished.
All that remained was a small, faceless doll on the floor.
Nara picked it up.
On the back of its dress was writing that had only just become visible.
MIRA.
Beneath the name was a single sentence.
"I am not the child waiting behind the door."
Nara read the sentence, holding her breath.
Then there came a knock from behind the bedroom door.
Knock...
Nara froze.
Knock...
Twice.
Then a child's voice whispered from behind the door.
"The one who's waiting... is inside with you."