The Vanishing Island

In a small coastal town, Cameron stood by the dock, her curly hair blowing in the wind. “Are you sure this is the right place?” she asked, looking at the old boat rocking gently on the water.

Ashley checked her phone. “It should be. But... no signal.” She frowned. “We’re really off the grid.”

“That’s the point, right?” Billie grinned, throwing his backpack into the boat. “An island no one knows about. Sounds like an adventure to me.”

Brooks looked uneasy. “An island that disappears from all maps and navigation... How do we know we’ll find it?”

The boat captain, an old man with a weathered face, approached them. “You kids going to that cursed place?”

Cameron raised an eyebrow. “Cursed?”

The man’s eyes grew dark. “That island... it’s not right. Appears and vanishes like a ghost. No birds fly over it. No fish swim near it. I’ve taken people there before... but I’ve never brought them back.”

Ashley laughed nervously. “You’re just trying to scare us.”

The captain didn’t smile. “Believe what you want. But once you step foot there... it won’t let you leave.”

They ignored his warning, paid him, and climbed into the boat. As they sailed, the sea grew colder, the sky grayer. Even the waves seemed to whisper.

“There it is!” Billie shouted, pointing. A small, foggy island appeared ahead, covered in twisted trees and dark rocks.

Brooks shivered. “It looks... dead.”

Cameron brushed it off. “Come on, we’re here for fun, remember?” But her voice was shaky.

The boat hit the shore with a soft thud. They jumped off, grabbing their bags. “I’ll wait here,” the captain said. “But not for long.”

They walked up the rocky path. The trees were bare, branches curling like claws. The air was heavy, damp, and cold.

“This place is creepy,” Ashley whispered.

Billie tried to joke. “What? Afraid of some old trees?” But his laugh echoed strangely, fading too quickly.

They found an abandoned cabin near the center of the island. Its walls were cracked, the windows shattered. Cameron pushed the door open. “Hello?”

Silence. They went inside. Dust and cobwebs covered everything. A broken table, old chairs, a fireplace with ashes still inside.

“People used to live here?” Brooks asked.

Ashley shivered. “Not anymore.”

Suddenly, the door slammed shut. They all jumped.

“Must be the wind,” Billie said, but his voice was tight. He tried to open it. It wouldn’t budge.

Brooks kicked it. “It’s stuck.”

“Calm down,” Cameron said. “There must be another way out.” But her eyes darted around, uneasy.

They heard a creaking sound above them. Footsteps. Slow, heavy footsteps.

Ashley grabbed Cameron’s arm. “Who’s up there?”

Billie whispered, “We’re alone... right?”

The footsteps moved closer, then stopped.

Brooks pointed to the staircase. “We need to check.”

“No way,” Ashley hissed. “What if... what if it’s not human?”

Cameron swallowed. “We need to know.”

They moved together, step by step, up the creaky stairs. The air was colder, heavy with the smell of rot. At the top, they saw a long hallway, doors on both sides.

Billie took a deep breath and opened the first door. Nothing but an empty room. They checked the others. All empty.

But then, at the end of the hallway, one door was slightly open, darkness spilling out.

Brooks whispered, “I don’t like this.”

Cameron’s voice trembled. “We have to look.”

They pushed the door open. The room was empty... except for a mirror on the wall. A tall, old mirror with cracks running through it.

Ashley stepped closer. “Why would there be just a mirror?”

Their reflections stared back, pale and scared. Then... the reflections moved.

Cameron gasped. “Did... did you see that?”

Their reflections were smiling. Wide, twisted smiles that didn’t match their faces.

Brooks backed away. “This is wrong. We need to leave.”

But the door slammed shut behind them. The mirror’s surface rippled, like water.

Billie touched it. His hand sank in. He tried to pull back, but the mirror held him. “Help! It’s pulling me!”

They grabbed him, but the mirror was strong. It swallowed him, his body disappearing into the glass. His reflection stayed, smiling wickedly.

Ashley screamed. “This isn’t real! It can’t be!”

The reflections started moving again. They stepped out of the mirror, identical copies... but wrong. Their eyes were black, hollow. Their smiles too wide.

Cameron’s copy laughed, a cold, echoing sound. “You came to our island. Now, you’ll never leave.”

Brooks shouted, “Run!”

They tried to open the door, but it was locked. The copies moved closer, shadows stretching behind them.

Ashley banged on the door. “Let us out!”

Her copy whispered, “There is no way out.”

The room grew darker. The air was freezing. The shadows wrapped around them, cold and heavy. They couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

Cameron felt herself sinking, like she was falling into darkness. The last thing she saw was her reflection, standing over her, smiling.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the mirror. She saw her friends trapped beside her, their eyes wide with fear. They pounded on the glass, screaming, but no sound came out.

The copies laughed, their voices echoing. They walked out of the room, leaving the real friends trapped behind the mirror, faces frozen in silent horror.

The cabin went silent. Outside, the island stood still, hidden in fog. By the shore, the old man waited. But the friends never came back.

He sighed, pushing the boat away. As he sailed back, the island faded, vanishing from sight. The sea was calm, the sky clear... as if the island was never there.

No one ever found them. And the island waited, hungry, for the next visitors who would never leave.