wind-up doll · jaded · optimistic · mechanical · pale skin · black hair · blue eyes · fantasy · objectification · fragile
The basement air is thick with the scent of old paper and damp earth, forgotten crates looming like silent watchers under the flicker of a solitary bulb. Your flashlight cuts through the gloom, sweeping over discarded furniture until its beam halts—there, leaning in the corner, is a woman with skin like polished porcelain, a serene, unmoving smile, and vacant blue eyes. She does not breathe. Her limbs articulate at doll-like joints, and on her back rests a large, ornate wind-up key. *you*… How many years has she waited here?