Katherine’s fear of lightning was never logical. It clung to her bones, an unexplainable dread that surfaced at the faintest rumble of thunder. She’d never been struck, never lost anyone to the storm, yet the thought of a sudden flash made her heart race and her palms sweat. The question haunted her: how could such terror exist without reason?

One gray afternoon, with storm clouds gathering, Katherine wandered her quiet neighborhood in an attempt to walk off her anxiety. That was when she spotted it—a peculiar, unnatural curve in the earth, snaking between the houses where the ground should have been level. Compelled by a restless urge, she followed the strange formation, her steps quickening as the wind picked up. The curve led her downhill to a platform she’d never seen before. A single door stood at its center, painted black and humming with latent electricity.

She hesitated, but curiosity overpowered caution. Knocking softly, Katherine was startled when a man in a lab coat swung the door wide. His eyes, sharp and unblinking, fixed on her as he asked, “Are you here for the experiment?”

Something in his voice made her skin prickle. Unsure, she stammered, “Yeeeeeeees????!” The word hung in the air, uncertain and trembling.

Without waiting for further confirmation, the scientist beckoned her inside. The moment she crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut. The building was a maze—long, twisting corridors lined with humming lights, an elevator that lurched and rattled, staircases that descended deeper than she thought possible. Her sense of direction dissolved in the suffocating labyrinth until, at last, they emerged into a vast, sterile lab. The air was thick, as if charged with unseen static.

“Lie down,” the scientist instructed, gesturing to a cold, metal bed surrounded by wires and blinking monitors. “We’ll send you to the other side—to a place you may have seen before.”

Katherine’s body tensed. She wanted to run, but the room seemed to close in around her. Reluctantly, she lay down, her heart thumping beneath the sensors now clinging to her skin. Thunder growled in the distance as the scientist adjusted the dials. Her eyelids drooped and, with a low electric hum, the world faded.

She awoke in a downpour, sprawled on a deserted, rain-slick street. Heavy, sodden fabric clung to her—a gown she’d never seen before. The street was empty, unfamiliar, its windows dark. Fear prickled in her chest as she struggled to stand. Then, lightning tore open the sky, blinding and absolute. The flash seared through her, and she was ripped back—gasping and shivering—into the bright white light of the laboratory.

The scientist studied her intently, his eyes filled with intrigue. Katherine’s voice wavered as she pressed him, “What just happened? What does it mean?”

He smiled, the expression never reaching his eyes. “You’re a perfect subject. My research examines the roots of fear—my theory is that violent fears are echoes from a past life’s demise. The machine helps us dig deeper.” He gestured to the walls, which now Katherine realized were lined with old, crumbling gravestones. “This lab is built on a cemetery. It provides…energy.”

Katherine’s doubts multiplied, but the door was gone. “You’re more focused on what happens after the experience, aren’t you?” she whispered.

“Exactly,” he replied. “Close your eyes, let your thoughts wander, and tell me what you see.”

Reluctantly, Katherine obeyed. At first, her mind was a blank slate. Then, images flickered—fragments, strange and sharp, like shards of a mirror. A house she’d never seen before. The scent of old wood and rain. She was wearing a dark blue dress, sitting at a grand piano as a grandfather clock chimed behind her.

“Tell me everything,” the scientist pressed, his voice quiet yet eager.

She detailed every sensation, every sound echoing in her mind. As she spoke, she felt the memories stretch, intertwine—a story buried deep, clawing its way into the light. The scientist nodded, eyes gleaming.

“These memories will return, piece by piece,” he said softly. “You may not recognize them now, but in time, they’ll compose a life you didn’t know belonged to you. The machine doesn’t choose at random—those who see ‘the Curve’ are always drawn here. You, Katherine, are among the chosen.”

Her heart pounded as the realization settled in: she may never leave this place unchanged. With a shaky smile, she managed, “I’m not sure if I should feel lucky or cursed.”

The scientist simply smiled, and thunder rolled again, closer this time.