Passing through

As Jude gazed into the shimmering surface of the rock, he felt a chill creep down his spine. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the unsettling sensation that enveloped him as he stared into the depths of the polished stone.

Unlike the others, who beheld their own reflections with delight and wonder, Jude found himself confronted with a disturbing sight, a burning skull staring back at him with empty eye sockets, its fiery visage a stark contrast to the youthful images reflected in the faces of his companions.

With each glance into the rock's surface, Jude's fear deepened, his mind awash with unsettling thoughts and ominous premonitions. What dark forces lay behind this macabre apparition? And what sinister purpose did the rock serve, its surface twisted into a grotesque mockery of reality?