What Waits in the Glass: Look long enough, and it will look back

by Ellis Grayson

When his uncle vanishes without a trace, twenty two year old Harry returns to a lonely cottage in the Scottish Highlands. The house at Loch Glen is just as he remembers-quiet, cold and filled with dust.

But the mirrors don't behave as they should.

They don't just reflect. They remember.

Faces appear where none should be. Smiles stretch too wide. And in the attic lies a staircase that shouldn't exist, leading somewhere no light has touched.

As Harry searches for answers in his uncle's notebooks, he discovers the the house doesn't want his body, or even his soul.

It wants his doubt.

And once you hear your name in the glass, there is no way back.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 19, 2025

About the author

Hi I'm Ellis Grayson a fresh voice in post-apocalyptic fiction, driven by a lifelong love for the zombie apocalypse genre. With no formal background in writing, I've stepped into the world of storytelling purely out of passion.

I am based in the UK, I spend my free time thinking up ideas and plots for my next book and mapping out the next nightmare for his growing cast of characters.

I write for readers who love high-stakes tension, flawed but fearless survivors, and stories that explore what it really means to endure not just the end of the world, but everything that comes after.

Reviews

[Samantha ☾⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn’t awful but I was absolutely bored through most of it. It just didn’t hook me and seemed very repetitive. And I swear if that man drops that flashlight one more time I’m losing it!

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rode this out in the hopes of a promising ending with a deep lore and explanation on the how's and why of the mirrors to no avail. if you played a game of "take a shot" for every time he dropped the torch, the room described as smelling of rot and damp, you'd be paralytic by the epilogue...least not forgetting Harrys obsession with the clutching the diary of which by the way lead you to believe there would be a big reveal or some plot twist but yet again you get absolutely nothing.

I also had mad levels of confusion and unexplained hole in the story of the two officers of which you presume to be dead because Harry finds Graysons cloak/coat down in the hatch....so you're given the impression they're gone for good only to miraculously rock up at the cottage in the epilogue so wtf

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow burn horror. What I liked most about this book was its vivid imagery: I could picture exactly what was happening and felt like I was within the world of the story. It would make a great movie or episode of a paranormal TV show. The one drawback was the protagonist: he was passive (i.e. everything just happened to him) and there wasn't much sense of his character. Overall an enjoyable read and worth checking out to support an independent author.

[Shelly Neinast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware of your reflection

A nice spooky eerie short story that pulls the reader into its claws. The author sure knows how to grab the reader in and not let go until the end when your not sure it was real or paranormal.
Great book to read if you want a short book to read in between longer novels.

[Cassidy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really creepy and ominous storyline, but the execution of it was incredibly repetitive and I found myself completely uninterested by the last 20%. Rather short, at just over 100 pages, it felt like it could have been much shorter. Especially if our friend Harry hadn’t dropped the torch or the notebook or stumbled backwards SO many times. A spooky but tedious read for me.

[Gemma Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a brilliant and really spooky book i loved it so much and it's defo perfect for Halloween nice and scary

[Breanna Taylor- · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was truly amazing!! The build up, the twists and turns it is perfect for anyone who loves a good thriller read!!!

[Justine Biddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick creepy, horror story set in the Scottish Highlands. It did get slightly repetitive but I enjoyed it

[Mary Olar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an atmospheric and unsettling read that lingers long after the last page. Grayson crafts a gothic mystery steeped in creeping dread, where every reflection hides more than it reveals. The writing is sharp and evocative, balancing a haunting sense of place with characters whose fears feel painfully real.

Highly Recommended