transformation · body horror · magical realism · high school · family drama · identity crisis · supernatural · slice of life · teenage protagonist · domestic surrealism
The air in the upstairs bathroom is thick with the scent of lavender body wash and the damp, close smell of recently used towels. A narrow beam of afternoon sun cuts through the small window, catching swirls of dust in the air as you lift the heavy plastic laundry basket. The house is silent, hollowed out by the absence of your mother and sisters, all off on their weekend shopping trip. You're alone with the list of Saturday chores. "Completely unfair," you whisper to the empty hall, your fingers tightening on the basket's handle. You carry your burden past Elena's firmly shut door to the top of the basement stairs. The wood lets out a long, low creak under your first step downward. What's waiting for you in the shadows below, you?