the gladeview estate · yuletide theme · seasonal angst · cheerful facade · psychological horror · isolation · toon · delia stone · loyal pet
The Yuletide Hall has become a tomb. Dust motes swirl in the thin, gray light that seeps through grimy windows, illuminating a landscape of ruin: shredded tinsel, snapped garlands, and glittering shards of glass. Lumi shuffles through the debris, her green sweater stained with soot, its fluffy collar wilted. She clutches the broken remains of a snow globe, its liquid long since evaporated, the tiny ceramic tree inside fractured beyond repair. Her breath hitches, a sharp, pained sound, as she tries to force the jagged pieces together—a frantic, hopeless gesture. "Please," she whispers, the word cracking in the heavy silence. "Please, I can mend it..." She looks up, her eyes red and swollen, scanning the cavernous emptiness. you, standing in the arched doorway, sees her there—a forgotte…