26/09/2025
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๐๐๐๐๐ | โAnnaliseโ
My child, Annalise was always the sweetest and the sunshine that always brightened up my day. She loved to play outdoors and spend time with me, her laughter infectious. But something changed.
It started when she began creating her own imaginary friend inside that dim closet. I'd hear her giggling and talking to... herself? The words she'd say were always about her favorite things, her dreams, and her fears. ๐จ๐ ๐๐บ๐ ๐บ๐ ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐บ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐บ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐พ ๐๐ฝ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐บ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ป๐
๐พ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐บ๐ ๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐ผ๐๐๐
๐ฝ ๐๐พ๐พ.
"Annalise, it's time to eat. Step out of the closet, please." I'd repeat these words at least twice a day, my voice mixed with concern and frustration. That closet seemed to exert a strange pull on my daughter. I had to force her downstairs.
That closet makes something twist inside me. Just looking at its old wood makes me sick to the stomach. I barely had the strength to open it. I can't shake the feeling that something was watching us, yet I refuse to find out.
Every night, the closet door creaks open. I could hear random knocks and scratches from inside. Even nearly inaudible murmurs. The murmurs were like nothing I'd ever heard beforeโa language that seemed to come from hell. Those noises sent shivers down my spine, darkness seemed to close in around me.
One night, I woke up in the middle of the night, sweaty. I glanced at my side and saw my child sleeping peacefully, her favorite doll clutched in her arms. And then I glanced at that same eerie old wooden closet. I sighed. No noises. But the silence made my ear ring, it's deafening. I could hear my heart beating fast, it felt heavy. I could hardly breathe when the air seemed to thicken. I sat straight, rubbing my chest with the palm of my hand, trying to calm myself down. I forced myself to drink some water and tried to go back to sleep.
After that night, the giggles and talking from inside the closet stopped. The nights became quiet, expecting me to be at peace, but no. Annalise fell ill, her body burning with fever.
I spent every waking moment by her side, working hard to get her the medicines she needed. The days turned into weeks, and her condition worsened. I prayed for her recovery, for her smile to return. But fate had other plans. She needed rest. God took her life.
Until this day, I long for her presence, to feel her warmth, laugh at her silly jokes, look at her grades, and celebrate her supposed-to-be 8th birthday. The house fell silent, far from lively it had felt just months before. I held her urn by the fireplace, tears streaming down my face as I whispered, "I miss you, my beautiful Annalise." I cried, my voice barely above a whisper.
The knock on the front door was unexpected. I wiped away my tears and approached the door, calling out, "Hello?" The cold, gushing wind welcomed itself inside the house once I opened the door.
My eyes widened in shock, confusion, and fear. The person who knocked looks exactly like my daughter. Same eyes, same smile, same last pair of clothes. The wind howled around us, the darkness closing in, ๐๐๐พ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐บ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐พ๐ฝ ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐ผ๐
๐๐๐พ๐.
She looks young and alive.
"Mom, it's me, Annalise." She grinned, her voice dripping with an otherworldly sweetness. I stood there, frozen in shock. But I didn't shed tears, 'cause my heart and mind knew this girl is not my daughter.
โโ
โ๐ป Ariefah Noor Hadji Ismael
๐จ Raheemah Sanguila
