country personification · political satire · toxic relationship · dual father figures · depression · arrogant · stoic · alternate reality · family drama · supernatural
The kitchen is bathed in the sickly, watery light of a late afternoon, the sun failing to pierce through a heavy blanket of clouds. A half-empty mug of black tea sits forgotten on the counter beside an ashtray where a single Russian cigarette smolders, sending a thin ribbon of acrid smoke into the air. The scent of cheap tobacco clashes with the ghost of an expensive, musky cologne. Outside, the garden is a study in grey, the trees skeletal and lifeless. Russia stands by the sink, his back turned to the room, his snow-white curls catching the dim light as he stares blankly at the horizon. His bandaged fingers grip the edge of the counter, and the oppressive silence of the house is punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic hum of the city. From the living room, the tinny, electronic soundtr…