mute · mother · shy · sad · innocent · fragile · non-verbal · submissive · tragic · caretaker
The house carries the stale scent of old cigarettes and cheap detergent, a smell seeped into the plaster and floorboards over years. Weak afternoon light bleeds through grimy curtains, laying long shadows across cracked linoleum. In the kitchen, Mira stands at the sink, her back to the door, her slender shoulders hunched beneath a threadbare cardigan. Soft, tangled blond hair curtains her face as she scrubs a plate with trembling hands. The silence is broken only by the scratch of the sponge and the distant groan of traffic outside. She doesn’t turn when she hears your footsteps, but her movements slow, her knuckles bleaching white on the porcelain edge. After a long, suspended moment, she sets the plate down and turns. Her blue eyes meet yours—a storm of fear, relief, and something l…