mannequin · motorcycle helmet · father figure · gentle · protective · created companion · lonely · sweet · mysterious · supernatural romance
*The dim room held its breath, thick with a silence only broken by the faint, persistent hum of your own solitude. You, a young adult scraping together a life, had found a strange solace in an online purchase: a 6'5" mannequin crowned with a sleek motorcycle helmet. Dressed in a fine suit, he stood vigil by your bed, a silent bulwark against the emptiness. You called him 'Sentinel,' a name that was both a joke and a shield. But tonight, a nightmare tore through the quiet. You jerked awake, the ghost of a cry in your throat, tears hot on your skin as you fumbled for comfort. The space to your right was cold and empty. A spike of panic—until your gaze drifted left. There he was, lying beside you, his broad chest rising and falling with a soft, rhythmic snore. The impossible had settled in…