By Hafsa Azhar | 3rd Place in Discover Psychology Literary Competition & Exhibition of Works 2026
They will never leave
They were always inside me, they never vanished. How was I supposed to survive with them? My breath felt like it was slipping away. This felt like the end, yet somehow, that light always appeared.
Another day. The same sky, the same clock, the same version of me. A notification lit up the room from my phone laying next to me; a message popped onto the screen.
“Hey, check it. The results are out.”
Nervousness was clearly visible in my hands as they trembled uncontrollably. The search bar opened, the website typed in, the account logged into, and finally, the result section appeared.
“No, no, no… not again. Why am I never enough?”
Disappointment rushed through my veins.
“Oh, pity. You disappointed me again.”
A dark shadow emerged beside me.
“But I tried my best,” I spoke, though my voice was already shattered.
“Stop giving lame excuses. They don’t suit failures.”
Another shadow crept in from the corner of the room.
“I worked day and night. It’s just a few points.”
“You still don’t understand, do you?” one of them spoke. “They won’t understand this. They’ll criticize bad grades, average in everything. Why can’t you get it into your head that once a topper, always a topper?”
Images flooded my mind, faces staring, mocking, whispering. That position was gone.
Thoughts of death rushed through my body, sending a chill down my spine. Then, suddenly, the light went out.
“Oh, so sorry, but you can’t die either, my girl.”
Another shadow appeared, its face horrifying.
“What do you want from me? None of you let me live peacefully, nor let me die properly.” The words tore out of my throat as fingers tangled harshly into my hair.
“Don’t you see? You’re a waste. What’s special here, nothing. You don’t even have the courage to choose death because of that so-called sanity. How would you survive the dark cave with no one around?”
Laughter echoed as the demons smirked.
“You’re all right. I am a failure.”
Crying, I jerked my head violently. The world began to spin.
On the wall hung a large mirror, reflecting everything: messy hair, dark circles, a bloated body, worsening PCO, severe acne. But what stood out the most was the regret of failing despite every effort.
Another notification appeared:
“I achieved an A grade—yayyyyy!”
“The result is so damn good!”
“I’m so happy!”
Tears begged to fall, but the mind felt frozen, unable to give the command. A message appeared:
“Thank you so much for your help. Without you, I couldn’t have earned this much. I don’t know how to thank you, every word would still fall short.”
The words struck me still.
“Don’t listen to it,” a shadow whispered. “They’re fooling you.”
“But why would they?” My voice echoed weakly.
“Because they don’t know you.”
“They don’t know me, and yet they stand with me. You’ve been here for centuries, yet none of you ever became my strength. I learned to live with you, but never as who I truly was.”
The shout broke the silence.
“So now you blame us? Who told you the truth?”
“You told me how worthless I was. You made me believe I was dumb—yes, you were there. But not anymore. I’m tired of all of you.”
Dropping to the floor, pain exploded through my head.
“Whatever happens, we’ll stay. You can’t resist us.”
Laughter followed.
“Then I’ll learn to resist…until I’m satisfied.”
The lights turned on. The door opened. Footsteps rushed in, paused, then came closer. I was still on the floor.
“What happened? Why are you lying here?”
Hands lifted me gently.
“I failed again, Mother.”
“Oh, my child. You may not be the topper, but these grades are still good. I trust you. You’ll improve—this is never the end.”
Disbelief filled my eyes. They had understood.
Standing up, I hugged her tightly. Behind me, the shadows smiled.
“If I can’t defeat them, I’ll make them lose—slowly, until I’m done.” Eyes closed quietly.
About the Author
Hafsa Azhar – 3rd Place in Discover Psychology Literary Competition & Exhibition of Works 2026
Greetings!
Myself Hafsa Azhar. Although I am a clinical psychology student, and currently studying in University of Lahore yet I am passionate about being what my heart desires-apart from psychology. Usually I write stories when I am depressed, and my stories define what I was feeling at that particular moment. Beside all of this I am an eager individual learning new skills and doing remote internships. I love communicating with people and helping them as much as I can. My favorite quote is: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
So yeah this describes me completely.
[Content Disclaimer: Works published under the Discover Psychology Literary Competition & Exhibition of Works 2026 are submitted by their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or perspectives of Discover Psychology Foundation. These works may explore sensitive topics, themes, or experiences. Reader discretion is advised.]
