The Riddle

Stay away, stay away,

Don't come near me again.

I am terrified, and I am old.

You make me shiver and fearful.

The old lady often reflected on instances when nothing went as planned. She recalls every detail of the day she discovered the truth about her best friend, Sally. A lovely young lady, much like herself. That summer, they had both turned 16 years old. That summer, they grew ancient, stone ages old.

Sally picked her up at 7 a.m., as is customary. They had to walk for about 45 minutes to their workplace, but the countryside was so gorgeous that they both relished the freshness of the day, the lovely flowers, and the scent of new grass. She will never forget the 3rd of June. They were both dressed up for an important occasion at their workplace. Both looked fantastic. Sally had black hair and blue eyes, and she was blonde with dark grey eyes. Both had short hair, which was unusual at the time, but they both enjoyed swimming in the local lake, so having short hair was more convenient.

Sally took hold of her friend's arms, and they departed. They had to travel a lovely route, and as good friends do, they were both laughing and chatting the entire way.

Sally adored the colors of flowers, and every week, usually on Fridays, she brought a little bouquet of flowers to work and back home. They had hardly begun their commute to work when Sally began to gather flowers. It was a Wednesday, not a Friday. The elderly woman recalled her shock and the question she had posed about it. However, Sally chose not to respond, which turned out to be much more unusual. They always spoke about everything, but this was unusual.

Jane, the old lady's name, decided it would be best to keep quiet because she hadn't received a response and Sally didn't seem to be paying attention to her best friend.

Following Sally's completion of flower picking, they continued to their job location. Everyone in attendance was happy and was dressed appropriately. Nobody knew what information they would receive or what event they would witness.

The supervisors greeted everyone and instructed them to report to their workstations where they all had to get to work. Sally and Jane then made their way to their office and got to work. Both women were secretaries, and they both took great pride in their work. Sally hastily placed the flowers in a vase as well. She then quickly sat down, began to type, paused, stood up, and left the room.

That slightly angered Jane, although Sally may have needed to use the washroom or seek assistance.

Sally returned a few minutes later, sat down, and began to type. Sally avoided looking at Jane, who had a question in her eyes. That seemed quite weird.

After 30 minutes, we were all summoned to the 'hall of fame' for the company's 25th anniversary.

Sally and Jane rose and walked together to the hall, where they took their seats just in front of the stage. Everything was decked in company colors, and a table was set with trophies.

Jane recalled the time she asked Sally what was wrong with her. She'd never forget the way Sally looked at her unexpectedly. Her wide brown eyes, which she was familiar with, became afraid and angry, her face turned crimson and then pale, and her body began to tremble.

She was ready to say something when the company's president walked the steps to the stage and the microphone. Jane reached out to comfort Sally, but she yanked her hand away. She began to sweat, cold perspiration. It was dripping down her throat.

The president began to speak and cast a cynical glance towards Sally. His smile was the devil's smile. What exactly was going on here?

Sally turned to her friend Jane and informed her she needed to use the bathroom. She'll be back in a few minutes since she's not feeling well. Jane understood as a good friend, but she was concerned about her health at the time. She nodded towards her and followed her gaze.

Jane sprang up and followed her friend Sally as soon as she was out of sight. She was just around the bend from the lavatory when she noticed Sally exiting the building and heading towards a large bus.

That was strange. Didn't she mention she needed to go to the toilet? Why is she deceiving me, her best friend?

Jane's memories came to a halt for a brief while. Her first grandchild, a young boy laying in his cot next to her, began to wail. She grinned as she glanced at him. He had the same black hair as her friend Sally and the same huge brown eyes. And the way he grinned at her made Jane think of Sally.

Her thoughts returned to that day. She tried to creep closer to the enormous black bus when she saw Sally get inside it. She was curious about what was going on there. But just as she started walking towards the bus, her supervisor appeared in front of her. His face was ghostly white, and his eyes appeared lifeless to her. It was a pretty weird experience. He gestured her not to make a sound with his finger over his mouth. He then grabbed her elbow and shoved her behind a tiny stonewall. Everything was like something out of a movie.

She wanted to say something, but he covered her mouth with his hands, shook his head, and stood still with her. He told her to remain very quiet if she wanted to live. She was freezing from head to toe. Her entire body was paralysed. Her brain was attempting to analyse the scenario, but what situation did she and Sally find themselves in? She didn't know anything, and she had no idea why Sally had gotten up and went into that bus. What was the deal here?

She thought she knew less the more she attempted to think.

When the young kid began to cry again, she returned her attention to him. He was a robust little man, and it was time for him to eat again. She walked back to the house, taking him out of the cot. She sat down after feeding him and changing his diapers, watching him go back to sleep. His small cheeks continued to gnaw.

A vintage photo album was taken from the shelf above her head once she stood up. Her fingers calmly flipped over the pages of old photos of her friends and family. She was looking for her and Sally's pictures.

She had seen these photos several times. Additionally, there were pictures from the evening she believed her life and Sally's life had ended. She was aware that the solution to all of her questions was right in front of her, but she was never able to see it.

Sally looked horrified when she got off the bus, she remembered. Her skin had turned even whiter than before. She was bleeding on her arm and trying to conceal it. Her boss had abruptly left, and she stood there, watching Sally enter the festive hall and disappear into the lavatory.

She gently followed her, and when she entered the lavatory, she noticed her best friend washing her hand. The blood she had witnessed had stopped. There was not a single scratch. Sally smiled and told Jane she was looking for more excitement that evening. There was no mention of what she had done or where she had gone. Jane mentioned that she thought she saw her outside on that large bus, but Sally shook her head, laughed and claimed she was here the whole time, in the lavatory. Her dress's zip was not working properly, so she fixed it.

Jane stared down at Sally's arm. There wasn't even a single tienist scratch. There was nothing. There was no wound and no bleeding. She was completely perplexed. Sally was keeping an eye on her and wondering what she was looking for. Jane shook her head and said she thought she saw her bleeding here, which is why she went to the loo.

As her young grandchild began to snore, she continued to look at him lovingly. He brought to mind the girl she had as her very first kid. When she was born, her daughter inherited her father's blond hair and large blue eyes. Her daughter's son was this small child over here. A wonder of hue, indeed.

When she considered colours, a thought suddenly made sense to her.

She reverted her gaze to the images. Sally's dress was made of red, blue, and white sequins. The image was outdated, and the colors had faded. But she was aware that something was off about that clothing.

She stood up from her seat next to the crip and went to get a magnifying lens. It was right there. She returned the magnifying glass to her place next to the cripp and was just getting back into the pictures when the phone rang.

She set the glass down and dialled the phone. Sally was on the opposite end of the queue when she picked it up. They hadn't spoken in 45 years, no word, no card, nothing. Despite this, she was on the phone. Her voice reminded her of her when they were younger.

Jane never expected to hear from Sally about this garment. She did, in fact, leave it with her after the party since she wanted to ride her bike home and didn't want to ruin it. But Sally vanished that night, and no one saw her again.

Jane forgot to inquire as to her whereabouts since she was so delighted to hear her voice after all these years. Instead, she stated that she would check things out the next morning. It might be kept in that ancient house's attic. Her daughter and son-in-law wanted to declutter the attic to make way for a playground for their young son. There was therefore a lot to accomplish. She was aware that the outfit was present, but she wasn't sure whether or not to tell Sally. Once more, she felt uneasy. Exactly how she had felt that evening. She then requested her phone number so that she could call her again the next day if the outfit was discovered.

Sally promised to call her back tomorrow at noon, but she flatly refused to give her the number. Before Jane could finish her sentence, she vanished like a ghost. Now, was that just a coincidence, or what? When the phone started to ring, she was looking at some old images. Her gaze shifted away from the window. At the end of the road, an automobile was parked. She didn't know if anyone was sitting in it, but she felt watched. She had been experiencing that for a few days.

She stood up and walked over to the door. She loved the scent of new cut grass and the flowering, so she left the door open wide because it was a beautiful and pleasant spring day.

She could see the car more clearly from the entryway. As the car's door opened, she exited the house and began to go towards the highway. She observed a man getting out of the vehicle. Her son-in-law drove his car into the yard at that very moment. The man climbed back into his car and sped off.

That was strange, very strange, but somehow not unexpected.

She refrained from speaking because she wasn't sure whether she should discuss that circumstance with her family. She returned inside the house, picked up the magnifying glass once more, and continued to look at the images.

She was aware that something was wrong, but she was unable to identify it. She moved from one image to the next before returning. She was aware that this location had the answer to the puzzle, but she was unable to see it.

Every time she returned to the celebration photo, she had the uneasy sense that it was the wrong one. As a result, she went back in time. Two days before the event. For whatever reason, that made her feel better.

She recalled that her mother had been occupied preparing food for a sizable birthday party by baking and cooking. She was the one who made the outfits for that occasion because she was still a tailor. That day, Sally and Jane tried them on so her mother could make the finishing touches.

When everything was finished, Sally requested if she may bring the outfit home to show her mother and father. She promised to bring it back the next day.

The next morning, she got up early, prepared coffee, and walked up to their house's old attic. It smelt like old furniture, dust, and worn-out clothing. The window was clouded, and the rising sun struggled to bring even a sliver of light into this dark attic room. Jane walked over to the window and slid it open. When she was a kid, she used to admire the view from that window. She recalled sneaking up here on weekends to observe the birds, cows, and horses. smelling the salty air from the neighbouring ocean. She adored that place, and it felt nice to be back. She sat down in an old chair nearby. She didn't know where to begin with the outfit and the setting. She gazed about, trying to remember how things were when they were younger. Her mother used this attic to store washed laundry. It dried more faster here than it did outside. She remembered a giant old cupboard somewhere near the end of that huge room, in a corner.

She stood up and proceeded in the direction she imagined the large cupboard stood. It was a peaceful stroll through ancient seats, desks, tables, shelves, crates, lights, sofas, and much more.But it was still there, in the same spot. Bringing that beast of a cabinet up here must have been a major undertaking.

Jane gently stroked that old acquaintance with her hands. It had been closed for ages. She started by opening the right door, and the creaking sound made her shiver. The left door opened more easily and was completely silent. Sally's dress was there, along with her former dress, which was also present. She moved to the open window after removing both garments from the cabinet. Sally's outfit was much heavier than it was at one point. She noticed that there was another dress underneath Sally's dress while she was at the window. She took the first one, which left her speechless. The second outfit resembled its original counterpart in every way.

She examined the two dresses more intently. Although they were identical, the dress underneath the first one had blood on it. When Sally returned off the bus that evening, the blood she had witnessed. She was correct, therefore. Sally had been bleeding, but when she ran into her in the lavatory, there wasn't even the slightest mark on her hand or arm.

When she heard a disturbance outside, she looked up. A automobile was approaching the house. The automobile was the same as the day before. A man emerged and turned to face her. For whatever reason, she quickly took a step back. She was terrified for both her family's and her own lives. The outfit was the cause of the strange events that were taking place. a dress from fifty years ago with a bloodstain on it.

The bell rang in the house, and her son-in-law opened the door. She could hear them conversing but couldn't understand a word they were saying. She heard footsteps on the stairs leading to the attic a few minutes later.

She quickly pushed the clothes back onto the hanger and into a nearby old wooden box. She then returned to her seat and drank her coffee. Both males came in the attic seconds later.

Her son-in-law was astonished to see her already up here, but she explained that she needed to be alone until everything was gone. She wanted to take one last 'bath' in this room because it held so many memories for her.

He gave her a smile. He was aware of how much she cherished that location and the significance of giving it to his kid. The man standing behind him caught his attention as he turned around. The man's eyes appeared to be solid gold; they were chilly and captivating, unsettling and magical, interesting yet simultaneously lost. Before he could present him to the old lady, the man demanded Sally's dress, to be exact, both dresses.

The bloody one and the bloodless one. Jane noticed terror in his eyes as she peered into them. Jane refused having the "dresses" any longer because she was aware of her superior position. She only knew about one outfit, not two. There must be an error or misinterpretation of some kind.

The man took another step up to the attic and stopped there, staring at her and pleading with her in his eyes. By the minute, her son-in-law was growing more and more uneasy. He wanted to intervene and order the man out of the attic, but Jane told him to go. She was interested in speaking with that man on her own.

He wasn't particularly pleased with his choice, but he could sense that something significant was taking place, so he left with the door open. in case she needed assistance.

The man approached Jane and sat down in a chair. Jane's face was just a giant question mark, so he started talking about Sally, the dress, the second dress, that evening, and when it all started. Jane was having trouble breathing because the narrative was out of this world. So the stranger took her hand, and Jane noticed his aura slipping inside her and regulating her heartbeat. She had the sensation that her entire body was under attack, but in a good way.

She then realised why her grandson was so familiar to her. Sally, her best friend, worked in a medical testing lab that transformed humans into new humans. Better ones, free of diseases, with a longer lifetime and more intelligence. She was shocked to learn that her last husband had been her former best friend Sally. The woman who had called her the day before was a clone of Sally and a new human being with more power than anyone could imagine. The blood spot on her dress was a blood stain from a non-human who had taken Sally's place that night.

Jane, too, felt like a lab rat at the time. The man, though, assured her that this was not the case. Sally vanished that night, but not to the lab; she vanished to an unknown location. They searched for her after she had vanished but they never found her, until two months ago, when they discovered the two dresses. Sally, the new Clon, recalled the previous night and the two costumes. So they walked out to find them, just like they did when they stopped by Jane's house. Her grandson's resemblance to Sally was so strong that they obtained a blood sample from him to see if he was linked to her.

All of them were taken aback by the test. The Littleboy was Sally's grandson. No one had noticed her despite the fact that she had been there all along. Sally changed into Salvadore, a tall, powerful man with big, soft-brown eyes who was intellectual and reserved. Jane said that her late spouse disliked going to gatherings or other public places. He cherished spending time at the farm, working there, and seeing their daughter blossom into a stunning woman. He frequently took Jane and the child on lovely holidays, and he always rejoiced when they returned. He rarely travelled more than a day away from the farm for work.

So she was secretly married to her best friend Sally. The man removed his hand from her, stood up, and walked over to the large box where she was hiding the garments. He opened the box, removed the items, turned around, grinned at her, and exited the attic. He climbed into his car and drove away. The mystery of that night was solved, but it was a new beginning for Jane. She would never be the same lady again, and the same could be said for her grandson. Sally was back, and that was all that mattered.