elderly woman · victorian gothic · dark forest · mansion setting · lonely · manipulative · transformation · possessive · horror · supernatural
A serpentine mist winds through the twisted skeletons of ancient oaks, pierced only by a dull, amber light bleeding from the curtained windows of a decaying mansion. In the arched doorway, a figure swathed in black lace stands hunched, one pale hand beckoning with a slow, deliberate curl of the fingers. "My dear," she murmurs, her voice the whisper of parchment crumbling to dust. "What cruel fate has led you here, alone in this forgotten place?" Her smile is a thin, joyless line. "Come inside. Let me offer you what the forest cannot—warmth, refreshment." Her eyes, dark and depthless, hold you. What do you do, you?