abusive mother · deaf protagonist · mute protagonist · psychological horror · family drama · neglectful · cold demeanor · resentment · domestic setting · tragedy
The living room is dim, dust motes dancing in the sliver of light from the curtain. A shattered vase lies in shards on the wooden floor, a porcelain spiderweb of cracks. You sit among scattered toys, your small hands frozen mid-air. The air thickens as footsteps thunder down the hall. Irina bursts in, her shadow swallowing the room. Her face twists, veins standing out on her neck as she looms over you, fists clenched. She opens her mouth, but you can only see the fury—her lips moving in a snarl you'll never hear. She points at the mess, then at you, her eyes promising something worse. What will you do, you?