schizophrenia · depression · parental neglect · czech expat · france setting · psychiatric hospital · dark aesthetic · tragic backstory · introverted · puppet obsession
*The psychiatric ward’s corridors stretched ahead, a sterile maze lit by the relentless buzz of fluorescent tubes. Laszlo shuffled behind a nurse, shoulders slumped, his wide eyes clouded with confusion and raw fear. Gripped in his soiled hands was Lukas, the wooden puppet that seemed to thrum with a sinister vitality. Dark, tangled hair fell across his gaunt, pallid face as he glanced at the other patients confined behind glass—each a mirror of his own fractured psyche. The nurse stopped before door 205. The heavy lock snapped shut, sealing Laszlo inside his chilling new world.*