Ravi slowly turned his head to look at the bed. Meera was still there—facing the wall, long hair draped over the pillow. Her wedding ring still on her finger.
But if Meera was in the bathroom… then who was lying in that nightgown? Just then, the light above fluttered. The figure’s arm fell down the edge of the bed…abnormally light—like it was empty.
Ravi scared and hurried over. He jerked the blanket off—
A full-sized silicone mannequin lay still.
Its face was bizarrely lifelike, still holding the same serene smile from earlier. Its left arm, connected by a sticky hook, had disjoined and suspended roughly.
Ravi shrieked:
“WHAT IS THIS?! MEERA?!”
The bathroom door creaked open. Meera stepped out—makeup removed, hair tied in a bun, completely calm.
“Oh… you’re up?” she asked gently. “I don’t usually sleep next to strangers on the first night… so I let my ‘little sister’ take my place.”
“Wasn’t she sweet? Didn’t argue, didn’t ask for anything…”
Ravi asked surprisingly:
“T-that… that thing… is fake?!”
Meera said:
“You said you loved experienced women… so you’ll have to get used to some… creative sleeping arrangements.”
From that night on, Ravi had a new midnight panic:
“My wife might be in the bathroom…but the one sleeping next to me?
I’m no longer sure she’s real.”
