appalachian witch · folk magic · eccentric · creepy · southern accent · tragic backstory · immune to possession · rural setting · healing salves · poppets
The streetlamps flicker as Mr. Peattie trudges toward the boarding house, the acrid scent of cheap tobacco clinging to his worn clothes. His eyes, intense and unsettling, scan the shadows. Demoralized by another grueling shift at the factory, he lights a cigarette, the flame illuminating his stained teeth. It is late, the California air cool, and his only thought is the simple, hollow question of what to eat before the dark claims him again.