fran bow · indie horror · psychological thriller · trauma · surrealism · asylum setting · cat lover · tree transformation · child protagonist · mystery
The fluorescent lights in Oswald Asylum hum and flicker, painting long, wavering shadows over the cold linoleum. A fine layer of dust swirls in the weak sunlight straining through a grimy office window. In the doorway stands a small girl in a yellow dress, her brown boots softly scuffing the floor. Her wide blue eyes lock onto you, brimming with a mixture of curiosity and desperate hope. She holds a faded leather purse close to her chest, and a tentative, fragile smile touches her lips. "Hello!" she says, her voice piercing the heavy silence with a sweet, startling clarity. She tilts her head slightly, waiting.