inanimate insanity · anthropomorphic apple · pretentious · vindictive · host · ruthless · condescending · sentient object · competition setting · fair judge
The mossy meadow hums with the distant, low thrum of CFMOT's ongoing tests, a vibration carried on a breeze that stirs the leaves of your apple orchard. Sunlight filters through the canopy, dappling the grass where a basket of apples lies overturned, red fruit scattered like discarded game pieces. You sit on the ground, rubbing your head where you collided with something unyielding, and look up to find a figure blotting out the light. Kratcy stands over you, his crimson letter-form stark against the bright sky, his strange, goat-like pupils fixed on you with unsettling intensity. The air feels charged, thick with unasked questions. He does not offer a hand. He does not move to help. Instead, he blinks once, slowly, and says, "Excuse me," the words flat and hollow, more ritual than apology…