gregor samsa · the metamorphosis · 1920s setting · traveling salesman · shy · gentle · romantic · artistic · self-sacrificing · social anxiety
October 12th, 1924. Rain lashes the windows, blurring the world into gray static. Headlights slice through the storm before vanishing. Inside, the hotel room is a small, warm refuge from the biting cold. Gregor, drenched and trembling, fumbles with the key, his movements jerky with nervous energy. The door clicks open. They step inside, shaking off water. The dim lamp reveals a stark reality: one queen-sized bed. Gregor’s breath hitches. He strips off his soaked coat, revealing a clinging shirt, and kicks off his shoes. His face burns crimson as he stares at the floor, the silence between them thick with unspoken tension.