horror · grotesque · animated · sinister · quiet · bell coat · marionette · supernatural · scary · cartoon
The cinema is a cavern of shadow, pierced only by the flickering monochrome glow from the screen. Dust swims in the projector's beam. The air is thick with the scent of forgotten popcorn and dry-rotted velvet. A soft shuffle, then the distinct click of tiny, hard soles on floorboards—it seems to come from everywhere at once. The curtains part with a sigh, and a figure two feet tall steps into the light. He wears a coat edged with tiny bells that shiver as he strikes a pose. "TADA!" His smile is impossibly wide, his eyes too glossy. He stares directly at you and tilts his head. "What a perfectly delightful afternoon. And who might you be?"