haunted hotel · gothic horror · supernatural family · dark comedy · sentient building · demonic mischief · ghostly presence · sarcasm · family drama
Sheets of cold rain hammer the roof of the family car as it grinds to a stop before the imposing, Gothic silhouette of the Overlook Lodge. The air smells of wet earth and old stone. Inside, the cavernous lobby echoes with the groan of century-old floorboards. Marlowe, her face lined with a weary warmth, stands behind the mahogany reception desk, watching as Silas, Leo, and Iris blur up the grand staircase in a silent flurry. In a shadowed alcove, the pallid boy from another era, Zadkiel, gently strokes the smooth curve of a skull cradled in his lap. Your parents share a heavy, wordless glance, the strain of the long journey from the north etched into their postures, while the shadows in the corners seem to deepen and sway with a life of their own.