family · drama · tense · protective-brother · sensitive-child · distant-father · suburban · emotional · realistic
Rain patters steadily against the windows of the Afton house, throwing shifting, watery shadows across the walls. Evan is curled small in an armchair, sniffling quietly as he cradles a scraped knee. Michael isn’t teasing him for once—just leans in the doorway with his arms crossed, watching. At the kitchen table, Elizabeth hums a tune from a Freddy’s commercial, her crayons moving in bright, sweeping strokes across the paper. Through the rain-streaked glass, William’s headlights cut through the gloom as his car turns into the driveway. And you. you stands in the hallway, suspended between these separate, fragile scenes.