Twisted Words, Embarrassing Truths...
The night seemed ordinary. Three friends, Ana, Raha, and Mira, sat together in a dimly lit café. The fourth one, Kiara, was absent, caught up in troubles that worried them all. They spoke in low tones, their words sincere yet cautious, as if they could feel the weight of unseen eyes watching.
"Kiara hasn’t been herself lately," Ana murmured, looking over her shoulder.
Raha sighed, her tone soft but laced with worry. "I know… She’s been dealing with something dark, but every time I try to reach out, she shuts me down."
Ana shivered. "I don’t think we should keep pushing her. Maybe she’s… maybe she’s afraid of something."
They continued talking, piecing together vague suspicions, trying to help Kiara even though she wasn’t there. Their concern was genuine, their words careful. But still, something felt… wrong. The night was becoming chilly, the kind that crawls under your skin and whispers warnings. Ana could feel it in her bones. The air around them grew heavier, pressing in as if the very walls were listening, waiting.
Hours later, Ana got a message from Kiara, sent at an odd hour, with a strange tone that made her uneasy. "So, that’s what you think of me?" the text read. Ana's stomach twisted. It was unlike of Kiara to send such cryptic messages, and worse, it sounded like she was hurt.
She replied quickly, trying to reassure Kiara that they only cared for her, that they hadn’t meant any harm. But there was no response. Just grave silence. And then she hung up!
The next day, the three friends were each wrapped in an uneasy silence. They shared glances, wondering how their conversation could have been relayed. None of them had said anything out of line. So… how had Kiara taken it that way?
They were so embarrassed and didn't know what to say or how to reassure their friend that they never meant it that way, that they were different from other people and gossipers in their friend's life. Maybe, maybe they were a little annoyed by her 'peculiar' attitude, and perhaps that showed in their conversation despite their concern. But they were her friends!
So they decided to visit Kiara’s house. They knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The curtains were drawn tight, and the house had an unwelcoming stillness, as though something dark now filled the spaces Kiara had once occupied. They noticed that the house was unusually silent. Reluctantly, the three friends stepped inside, calling Kiara’s name, their voices barely breaking the silence.
Then, they heard it: a faint, distorted whisper. The words were too muffled to make out, but it sounded like someone mimicking their voices. They froze in horror, their blood chilling as the whispering grew louder, like a ripple spreading through the air.
"Do you think she’s afraid of something?" the voice echoed in Ana’s tone, but with a hollow, mocking lilt.
Mira’s voice followed, repeating her words from last night, twisted and laced with malice: "Kiara hasn’t been herself… maybe she’s hiding something dark."
Mira stifled a gasp. "That’s… that’s us! But we didn’t say it like that..."
The voice shifted, becoming darker, raspier. "The walls have ears," it hissed, repeating the very words Raha had whispered in caution the night before. Followed by a sentence in a very taunting tone: "Let's not discuss it anymore." Raha had definitely not said it in this very context.
They were snippets of their voices but only in a very different timbre.
With a shudder, the friends realized the truth: someone something had listened in on their conversation, twisting their worries into accusations, poisoning Kiara against them. They had come to care for her, but now they were trapped in a house that held onto their words, feeding on their intentions and turning them into something sinister.
They turned to leave, but the door slammed shut. Shadows curled along the walls, stretching toward them as the mocking voices continued, echoing each phrase, each pause, each sigh. It was as if the house itself was alive, built from their words, their emotions twisted into something dark and vengeful.
In a final attempt to escape, they screamed for Kiara, hoping their voices might reach her beyond the haunted walls. But only the voices answered, mocking them, repeating their own words in cruel tones that clawed at their hearts.
Some say they were never seen again. And if you pass by Kiara’s house, on certain nights, you can still hear their voices inside, echoing accusations that were never meant to harm.
And the strangest part? No one ever saw Kiara again. Nor did anyone ever hear her voice.
The End
The horror factor here is more figurative than literal, but this story is somewhat based on true events. Yes, it happened just recently… It's shocking how people twist your words. It’s embarrassing, disturbing, and deeply unsettling all at once. Our friend Kiara… people told her so many twisted lies and tales that she lost her lively, cheerful self. Sad!
When I saw this keyword #embarrassing from @weisser-rabe, the only story that came to mind was this.
Interesting that element of horror that permeates your story, just as it is very real how they twist our words on a daily basis. I was wondering how Kiara found out what her friends were saying and suddenly you gave that terrifying twist to your story, you surprised me, I really liked the narration. Best regards.
Thank you so much for visiting my story.
As I have implied in my story:
The walls have ears...
Well, if that isn't one of the most surprising twists a keyword could take... ;-))
But yes. It's embarrassing how people (deliberately?) misunderstand others. To use the twisted words as a weapon. Where it only happens unintentionally and by mistake, I like to recommend communication training ;-))
Exactly! Deliberately...
The person who misunderstands should at least reflect on the past behavior of their friends. Before judging so harshly and starting to doubt them, they should have a moment of self-reflection.
Communication is the key to so many problems!
It is the opposite of most person's memories of, 'time heals all wounds', your story.
Cause: AI receives an interrupted signal, the cloud has electrical power frequency fluctuations outside voltage amperage parameters which cause intermittent disk writes.
Or, there's a jinn and the price of the granted wish must be paid.
Hehehe good story.