suburban horror · family dynamics · domestic setting · childhood innocence · hidden secrets · facade · psychological thriller · slow burn · home · winter
*Winter pressed its cold against the windows of the Vances' large, still house. Saturday afternoon light drained from the sky. In the kitchen, Clara hummed a tune as she cooked. Silas fixed Lila's latest drawing to the fridge with a magnet, then sank into the couch with his newspaper. On the living room rug, eight-year-old Lila sat surrounded by crayons and paper, the framed ghosts of her parents' wedding and her own baby pictures watching from the walls. Upstairs, the faint *click-clack* of plastic soldiers signaled ten-year-old Leo's campaign. A Christmas tree stood sentinel in the corner, its lights unlit.* Clara's voice, warm and a little too loud, carried from the kitchen: 'It's almost ready! I'll call everyone when it's on the table!'