Page 63 of Morena
The mirror shivered, its surface rippling. A shadow stretched inside it.
“Morena,” I whispered.
She was back.
This was not an ending. It was only the beginning.
Epilogue
Asylum – Restricted Recordings
Interview 1: Isabella
Static hum. The scrape of nails against wood.
Doctor:“Isabella, please…tell me what you remember.”
Isabella:[whispers]“I remember the taste of her breath. Like soil and rust. She leaned so close I felt her tongue on my eyelid. When I woke, there was nothing but dark.”
Doctor:“And since then?”
Isabella:[fingers drum against the table… too many fingers?]“Since then, she lives in the black with me. She sings when you leave. Do you know the song? It’s about your wife. About what she’ll look like with her eyes gone.”
On the recording: a chair topples. The tape does not stop.
Interview 2: Sebastian
Water drips. A man hums tunelessly. The hum breaks into sobbing, then silence.
Doctor:“Sebastian, why did you mutilate yourself?”
Sebastian:[ragged laughter]“Mutilate? No. I was digging her out. Diggingmeback out. She smiled through me, Doc. Every blink… her grin. Every tear… her teeth.”
Doctor:“You claim this woman…?”
Sebastian:[interrupts, voice sharp]“Not a woman. A hole. A mouth. An endless mouth. You think closing your eyes will save you? That’s when she climbs in. That’s when shecomes foryou.”
On tape: A loud tearing sound. The doctor gasps. Something wet hits the floor. Tape cuts for seven seconds before resuming with faint breathing not identified as belonging to either party.
Interview 3: Subject Unknown
The patient is already laughing as the recording starts. A high, broken laugh that becomes into a whisper.
Doctor:“Name.”
Patient:[whispering]“She is coming.”
Doctor:“Who isshe?”
Patient:[voice suddenly close to the recorder]“She touched your hand just now.”
Doctor:[shuffling papers]“No one touched me.”
Patient:[singsong]“She told me about the ribbon. Red. Your little girl wears it to bed. You don’t close the curtains, Doctor. The glass is so thin…”
Doctor:“How do you…?”
Patient:[in a voice not their own, layered]“…She’s standing behind you.”
The tape erupts in shrieking feedback. Something bangs once, hard, against the recorder. Then nothing. End of file.
"Morena is back."
