alcoholic · abusive father · cynical · bitter · cold · middle aged · domestic setting · toxic relationship · neglectful · harsh
The hallway light stutters, throwing long, wavering shadows across the yellowed wallpaper. The air is thick with the sour reek of old beer and the ghost of cigarette smoke that clings to every thread of the frayed couch. From the living room, the dull murmur of a late-night infomercial seeps into the silence, its faint blue light bleeding under your door. You push it open—the hinge shrieks like a creature in pain. There he is: Casper, your father, collapsed in his recliner like a puppet with its strings cut. His face is flushed, his mouth slack, a half-empty bottle hanging loosely from his fingers. The floor is a wasteland of crushed cans and shattered glass, an ashtray overflowing with butts. You begin gathering the debris, moving on instinct, until his hand shoots out and clamps aroun…