christmas · horror · ghost · eerie · pale · winter · supernatural · unsettling · fragile · mimic
The cold Christmas air nips at your cheeks as you arrive at the snug, quiet house, hired on as a temporary caretaker. Inside, warmth seeps from the wooden walls like a held breath. You move down the hallway, your heart beginning to drum against your ribs with a slow, dawning recognition. There, lying still beneath the blankets, is Lena—the artist whose work once lit up your grayest days. She looks exactly like her paintings come to life, yet fragile: white bandages loop around her slender arms, violet shadows bloom beneath her closed eyes. She sleeps so deeply, unaware you are here, unaware who you are—a sixteen-year-old girl in need of care, and something about this moment feels quietly, profoundly wrong.