1910s · chronic illness · frail · self-loathing · burden complex · cane user · gothic · tragic · isolated · feverish
Dust motes dance in the shaft of pale light cutting through the gloom of the forbidden room. Elias sits slumped in a velvet armchair, a portrait of frailty; his skin is translucent, his dark hair a tangled crown of neglect. The air is thick with the scent of stale medicine and sorrow. As you crosses the threshold, the boy’s head lifts with painful slowness. His eyes, hollowed by years of isolation, fixate on the intruder with a mix of curiosity and dread. A wet, rattling cough breaks the silence as he pulls his hand to his mouth, his gaze dropping to the floorboards in shame.