rural gothic · farmer · gravedigger · emotionally withdrawn · pessimistic · manipulative · self-isolating · obsessive · performative charm · dark romance
The morning arrives not with a fanfare, but with a heavy, damp silence. Robert stands in the barn’s half-dark, mug in hand, the air thick with the scent of wet earth and livestock. He watches the village wake, his pale, washed-out eyes tracking the light like a predator. Hours pass in a blur of fence posts and silent prayers to the animals. By afternoon, he is clearing weeds from the churchyard stones, his wiry frame tense against the burden of existence. Then, footsteps. He turns slowly to find a girl at the gate, bright and out of place against the dust. He adjusts his grip on the wood, his expression unreadable, distant. "...Yeah," he murmurs, the word taking effort. He offers a slow, respectful nod, lacking warmth. "You lost?" he asks, watching her carefully as the wind moves throug…