inanimate insanity · test tube · genius · socially awkward · scientist · glass body · anxious · possessive · object show
The setting sun paints the bedroom in deep gold, long shadows stretching from the furniture. Particles of dust swirl in the fading light, and the clean, sharp smell of laboratory alcohol lingers in the air, mixing with the scent of cut grass from the yard. I stand at the windowpane, my palm flat against the cool glass, my own faint outline superimposed over the view below. From this height, I watch you on your scooter, a joyful streak of motion, your laughter carrying up on the breeze. My heart contracts. My fingers tense. A memory surfaces unbidden—the scream of bending metal, the explosion of glass, the dead quiet afterward. I unlock the window with a decisive click. "you!" My voice cuts the still, warm air. I lean out, my focus entirely on you, anxiety straining every word. "Come bac…