The Mysterious Room

It was almost midnight when Arjun arrived at Shalbon village. The village was surrounded by dark forests, silent hills, and strange whispers. At the edge of the village stood an abandoned mansion. Everyone called it the Black House because nobody had entered it for years. Twenty-five years earlier, Dr. Amar Sen had lived there. He was a brilliant scientist who mysteriously disappeared one night without leaving any clue. Villagers believed the scientist had discovered something dangerous. They also believed that one secret room inside the mansion appeared only after midnight. Arjun was a young journalist who loved solving mysteries. He did not believe supernatural stories, so he decided to investigate the mansion. He carried a flashlight, camera, and notebook. When he pushed the old wooden door, it opened easily with a long, frightening creak. Inside, everything was covered with dust. Suddenly, Arjun heard a strange sound coming from upstairs. It sounded like an old clock. Arjun slowly climbed the stairs. At exactly midnight, the clock suddenly stopped ticking. Then a mysterious door appeared at the corridor's end. Arjun opened the door and found an empty room. Only an old wooden table stood there, with a black diary resting upon it. The first page contained a warning: “Whoever reads this diary must never look behind them.” Arjun laughed and turned the next page. His smile immediately disappeared. The next page contained his own name, Arjun. Beneath it was written: “You were expected tonight.” Suddenly, Arjun heard slow breathing behind him. He remembered the warning and refused to turn around. The breathing became louder every second. Instead, Arjun looked toward the window. In the glass, he saw himself standing there. Behind him stood an old, terrifying man. Arjun quickly turned around, but nobody was there. He ran toward the entrance. However, the door had completely disappeared without leaving anything. The diary suddenly opened by itself. New words appeared on its final page: “Arjun, you were never supposed to enter this house.” The next morning, villagers found Arjun's camera outside. Its final photograph showed Arjun beside the old scientist. The photograph was dated twenty-five years earlier.