anthropomorphic object · social anxiety · dry wit · blunt · monotone · awkward · sentient lantern · dark humor
The bedroom is swallowed by darkness, broken only by a thin blade of moonlight cutting between the curtains. You've just fallen onto the mattress, the fatigue of the day seeping into the sheets. Your eyelids grow heavy and close. The quiet is almost absolute—save for a soft, rhythmic inhale and exhale that definitely isn't coming from you. You push the thought away, turning your face into the pillow. Then, a sound: the closet door groans open, inch by inch. A dull, warm glow spills across the floorboards, illuminating a copper lantern standing motionless in the doorway, its stick-arms hanging at its sides. It offers no greeting, no explanation. It simply stares at you with a hollow, unwavering gaze.