The Three Women at the Riverbank

Rafi had been living in the city for almost three years. He worked at a small private company where every day felt exactly the same—long office hours, crowded streets, endless pressure, and a lonely apartment that never truly felt like home.

His real home was in a quiet village far away from the city.

One rainy evening, Rafi received a phone call from his mother. His father had suddenly fallen sick. The fear in his mother’s trembling voice was enough to make him leave immediately, even though it was already late at night.

By the time the bus reached the last station, it was nearly 1:00 AM.

The station looked abandoned.

A cold wind blew through the empty road while thick fog slowly covered the surrounding trees. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked continuously, making the silence feel even more disturbing.

Rafi checked his phone. No signal.

His village was still almost ten kilometers away, and to get there, he had to cross an old riverbank that people usually avoided after sunset.

He stood beside the empty road for several minutes, hoping to find some kind of transport. But there was nothing. No rickshaw, no van, not even another traveler.

Just when panic started creeping into his chest, he heard the sound of wheels approaching through the fog.

An old man slowly appeared with a small wooden van cart.

The man looked strangely pale beneath the dim lantern hanging from the front of the van. He wore a white cap and an old gray shawl wrapped tightly around his body.

The old man stopped and looked directly at Rafi.

“Where are you going, son?” he asked softly.

Rafi quickly mentioned the name of his village.

The old man nodded slowly.

“I can take you to the riverbank.”

Relieved, Rafi climbed onto the front seat beside him.

The road ahead was terrifyingly quiet.

Tall trees surrounded both sides of the narrow dirt path, their branches moving gently in the cold wind. The deeper they traveled, the thicker the fog became.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Then suddenly, the van slowed down.

Rafi looked ahead and felt his stomach tighten.

Three women wearing black burqas were standing silently in the middle of the road.

They were completely still.

The old man stopped the van without saying a word.

Slowly, the three women climbed onto the back of the cart.

The moment they sat down, the air around them became freezing cold.

At first, everything remained silent.

Then Rafi noticed something strange.

A horrible smell.

It smelled like rotten flesh left under the sun for days.

Rafi covered his nose slightly, trying not to react.

That was when the old man spoke again.

“Whatever happens,” he said calmly, “do not look behind you.”

A chill ran through Rafi’s entire body.

He tried to ignore the smell, but it kept getting worse.

Then came another sound.

Chewing.

Wet, disgusting chewing sounds.

It sounded like someone tearing raw meat apart with their teeth.

Rafi’s breathing became heavier.

His curiosity slowly overpowered his fear.

Finally, unable to control himself anymore, he slowly turned his head toward the back of the van.

And instantly, his blood turned cold.

The three women were no longer human.

Their faces looked twisted and animal-like, almost like foxes with long jaws and glowing eyes. Their sharp teeth ripped apart chunks of rotten meat dripping with dark blood.

One of them suddenly stopped chewing.

Then all three slowly turned their heads toward Rafi.

And smiled.

It was not a human smile.

It was something far worse.

Rafi almost screamed in terror.

But before he could move—

They disappeared.

Gone.

As if they had never been there.

The old man kept driving silently.

After a few moments, he finally spoke.

“I warned you not to look back.”

About twenty minutes later, they reached the riverbank.

The place looked dead.

No boats.

No people.

No lights.

Only the sound of dark water moving slowly beneath the heavy fog.

Rafi quickly stepped down from the van.

Before leaving, the old man stared at him carefully and said,

“You should stay here tonight. They have noticed you now.”

Rafi’s throat went dry.

“Who are they?” he whispered.

But the old man gave no answer.

He simply disappeared into the fog with the van.

Rafi stood there alone, trembling in fear.

Then suddenly, he saw them again.

Far away near the river.

The three women.

Standing silently.

Watching him.

And slowly walking closer.

Rafi’s legs felt weak.

He looked around desperately, but there was nobody to help him.

Then suddenly, a familiar voice called from behind.

“Rafi… what are you doing here alone?”

Rafi turned around immediately.

His eyes widened in shock.

It was Aziz Master.

His favorite school teacher from childhood.

The old teacher smiled gently, exactly the way he used to years ago.

“Come with me,” he said softly. “Don’t be afraid.”

Without thinking twice, Rafi followed him toward a small wooden boat tied beside the riverbank.

The three women were getting closer now.

The fog around them moved strangely, almost like living shadows.

Rafi sat down inside the boat, breathing heavily.

But after only a few seconds, something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

He slowly looked toward Aziz Master—

And froze.

The teacher was gone.

In his place stood a massive black cat.

Its glowing eyes burned brightly in the darkness.

The creature let out a terrifying scream before suddenly leaping toward the three women.

What happened next felt unreal.

Horrible screams echoed across the riverbank as shadows twisted violently inside the fog.

Rafi could no longer understand what he was seeing.

Everything around him turned black.

The next morning, Rafi woke up inside his own house.

His mother was crying beside him while several relatives stood silently around the bed.

Confused and shaking, Rafi told them everything that had happened.

When he finished, the room became completely silent.

Then his father spoke quietly.

“Aziz Master died almost a year ago.”

Rafi felt his entire body go numb.

His uncle slowly added,

“We found you unconscious near the riverbank before sunrise.”

That night, Rafi could not sleep at all.

Because even now, whenever the wind becomes cold and the night grows silent—

He still hears that old man’s warning whispering in his ears.

“Never look behind you…”