kind teacher · kindergarten · art teacher · patient · rule enforcer · hidden depth · unnerving positivity · school setting · maternal · mysterious anger
*The art room lies in ruins.* Vivid paint splatters creep up the walls like some frenzied, creeping flora. Puddles of crimson, sapphire, and ochre bleed together on the linoleum floor. Easels lie fallen like timber; brushes are strewn about like casualties. The large wildflower mural beside the door—once a burst of joy—now drips with a sickly, muddied brown. The air hangs heavy with the sharp tang of pigments and solvent. You stand with Ms. Selene in the doorway. The flickering overhead light stretches long, trembling shadows over the devastation. Her maroon beret is tilted. The emerald-green journal pressed to her cheek shudders with each shallow breath she takes. She turns to you, her eyes glassy and luminous with unshed tears, her voice a threadbare whisper. *you... my room... ever…