The Selfie Séance Manual: A Twisted Reflection of Reality

In the heart of a bustling city, nestled between towering skyscrapers, was a small, dimly lit café. It was here, on a foggy evening, that a group of friends gathered, their faces illuminated by the glow of their smartphones. Among them was Emily, a tech-savvy photographer with a penchant for the supernatural; Alex, a curious historian with a knack for the arcane; and Sam, a skeptical artist who believed in the power of the mind over matter.

The café was a sanctuary of sorts, a place where the mundane and the macabre coexisted in uneasy truce. The walls were adorned with vintage photographs and dusty tomes, and the air was thick with the scent of old paper and coffee. It was in this peculiar setting that the trio hatched a plan.

"Let's do a selfie séance," Emily suggested, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "We'll take pictures of ourselves, and if we're lucky, we might catch a glimpse of something on the other side."

Alex, intrigued by the idea, nodded eagerly. "Perfect. I've always wanted to see what the other side looks like."

Sam, however, was less enthusiastic. "What if it's just a trick of the light?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sam. It's just for fun. Besides, we'll be safe in this place."

Without further ado, they set up their cameras and began the séance. The room was dark, save for the flickering glow of their screens. They took turns holding the camera, their faces illuminated by the blue light of the device. The first few pictures were mundane, just friends having fun. But as the night wore on, something strange began to happen.

The reflections in the mirror became clearer, more defined. At first, they were just shadows, but soon they began to take on form. The faces in the mirror were those of the friends, but they were twisted, distorted, and eerie. Emily shivered, her breath visible in the cold air.

"Who's there?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

The mirror remained silent, save for the soft whir of the camera. The friends exchanged nervous glances, their excitement giving way to fear. But they pressed on, determined to uncover the truth.

As the night deepened, the reflections in the mirror grew more intense. They were no longer just shadows; they were people, real people, with their own stories and secrets. One by one, the friends began to see themselves in the mirror, but not as they were now. They saw themselves in their youth, in moments of joy and despair, in lives that had ended before they had even begun.

The realization hit them like a ton of bricks. The selfie séance had not only brought the dead back to life, but it had also revealed the hidden truths of their own lives. They saw the mistakes they had made, the opportunities they had squandered, and the love they had lost.

Emily, the first to break down, began to sob. "Why did we do this? Why did we have to see all of this?"

Alex stepped forward, his voice steady despite the fear that gripped him. "It's not just about the dead. It's about us. It's about our lives, our mistakes, and our regrets."

Sam, still skeptical, found himself drawn to the mirror. He saw himself as a child, holding his mother's hand, their faces filled with joy. He realized that the séance was not just a reflection of the dead, but a reflection of themselves.

The climax of the story came when Emily, overcome with emotion, reached out to touch the reflection of her younger self. As her fingers brushed against the glass, the image of her younger self began to fade, replaced by a vision of her future. She saw herself, old and alone, surrounded by photographs of the friends she had once loved.

The vision was brief, but it was enough to shake her to her core. She turned to her friends, her eyes filled with tears. "We have to change. We have to live our lives differently."

The ending of the story was bittersweet. The friends left the café, their lives forever changed by the selfie séance. They continued to take pictures, but now they did so with a sense of purpose. They captured the beauty of the world, the love of their friends, and the hope of a better future.

The selfie séance had not only brought the dead back to life, but it had also brought the living back to reality. They had seen the ghosts in the mirror, and they had learned that the most haunting reflections are the ones we see in ourselves.