Nadia went aboard the ferry, the day having drained her.
An empty seat in the back row beckoned. She sat and gratefully sank into its plush cushions.
From the back, the water was —
Dark.
The lights dimmed as the ferry pulled away, and it grew —
Darker.
Oblivious to her surroundings, Nadia continued her voyage home, and to dreamland.
A veil of mist settled beside her, occupying the empty seat.
“Too cold; ferry fare too expensive; Curry puffs on board too small.”
Mr. Tan was indignant.
A crew member appeared.
“Ma’am…sorry, but you’re both a little loud.”
“What?” Nadia was puzzled.
The staff pointed at the seat —
And realised it was vacant.
Mr. Tan was sheepish. “I fell overboard in 1987.”
He then explained that to disembark, a living passenger had to accompany him through turnstiles.
Nadia opened her mouth in protest —
Then the entire back row stood.
One raised a hand.
“Could we disembark too?”
Mirrors of the Mind by Michelle Liew is a collection of psychological and supernatural short stories that explore the quiet unease beneath ordinary moments. These are not tales of spectacle, but of subtle fracture — where memory distorts, silence speaks, and the self is not always singular. In these stories, what is unseen often carries the greatest weight, and what lingers is not what is shown, but what is felt
