"Page 17 " The silent between breaths - lvl 1

I Found My Own obituary on Page 17 of a Library Book

(And That Was Just the Beginning)

It was raining when I found it.

Not the soft kind. Not the romantic pitter-patter-on-windows nonsense.

This was Bengaluru monsoon rain — thick, angry, falling like the sky had given up.

I ducked into the old Central Library near Cubbon Park, shoes already soaked, hair dripping into my eyes. Just wanted to sit. Dry off. Maybe flip through something boring to forget about the fight I’d had with Amma that morning.

I grabbed the first book off a dusty shelf — some forgotten novel from the '80s, spine cracked, pages yellow like old teeth. “The Silence Between Breaths” by someone I’d never heard of.

Didn’t care. Opened it anywhere.

Page 17.

And there it was.

My name.

"Arjun Menon, 28, found dead in his apartment on October 14, 2025. Cause of death unknown. No signs of forced entry. Body discovered by neighbor after foul smell."

Below it? A grainy photo.

Me.

Lying on my back.

Eyes open.

Mouth slightly parted — like I died mid-sentence.

But…

I wasn’t dead.

I was reading this.

Heart pounding. Fingers trembling.

I flipped the page.

Blank.

Flipped back.

The obituary was gone.

Just… blank paper.

Like it had never been there.

I stared at the spot. My breath came too fast. I checked the title again. Same book. Same author. But no trace of what I’d seen.

I ran to the librarian.

She frowned. “That book hasn’t been checked out in 12 years.”

“Who was the last person to borrow it?”

She checked.

Looked up.

“You were.”

I froze.

“No,” I said. “That’s impossible. I’ve never been here before.”

She showed me the record.

Name: Arjun Menon

Date: October 13, 2025

Return Date: Never.

Today is October 12.

Tomorrow is the day I die.

And tonight…

I heard someone outside my door.

Scratching.

Softly.

Like they’re waiting.

Like they know.

And the worst part?

My phone just died.

But for three seconds…

It turned on by itself.

Screen glowing in the dark.

One message:

“Stop reading. You weren’t supposed to find it.”