The cat purred softly in the quiet of the night, just as the clock struck midnight, its chime echoing through the house. For Lin, the sound of the clock felt like a giant bell ringing in her ears, pulling her abruptly from her sleep. She flinched, tossing herself off the bed in a startled motion.

The room wasn’t completely dark. Faint shadows danced on the walls, cast by the moonlight streaming in through the half-drawn curtains. They moved like ghosts, shifting and swaying as the branches outside rustled with the night breeze. Lin sat up, still, on her bed, her eyes wide as she tried to make sense of the moment.

Then she heard it—a sound, faint but unmistakable. Footsteps, perhaps? Her breath quickened. She stayed still, listening, but then the truth hit her. It wasn’t footsteps; it was the pounding of her own heartbeat, loud and heavy in her chest. She let out a soft sigh, her nerves slowly calming as she realized it had only been her imagination playing tricks on her again.

The steady rhythm of her heartbeat eventually settled, but Lin's mind still raced. She needed to calm down. Closing her eyes, she sat back on the bed and focused on her breath. In and out, slow and steady. She began to meditate, trying to push away the lingering tension from the strange night. The ticking of the clock and the faint rustling outside became her focus, merging with the sound of her own breathing. “Tika… tika…” the clock whispered, its rhythm aligning with her slow breaths. Her thoughts gradually cleared, the swirling anxiety in her chest melting away.

Lin...