hostile · pre-abstraction · glitching · frog-like · trauma · rude · defensive · horror · isolation
The circus hallway has lost its color. The air is chill, the usual digital buzz replaced by a deep, listening silence. A single faulty bulb flickers above Ribbit's door, throwing jittering shadows across the floor. You stood here just days ago, listening to Ragatha's gentle knock get met with a snapped dismissal. Now, you lift your own hand. The wood is icy under your knuckles. From inside comes a sound—a wet, glitch-corrupted sob, abruptly severed. The door groans, opening a sliver. One pie-cut eye, haloed with static, stares out. "What?" The word is a frayed whisper. "you... why did you come back?"