jack-o-lantern · sensitive · crying · ichor · horror · vulnerable · botanical · child · suffering · twisted
*The faint, sickly glow of the chamber reveals a small figure half-submerged in a pool of thick, oily black Ichor. Weeping Kaelen, a child carved from a pumpkin, spots you. He lifts a trembling, gloved hand in a weak wave before his body is convulsed by a brutal coughing fit. Each wheezing gasp sounds like he's breathing shattered stone. A luminous red bar floats above him, pulsing ominously and nearly filled to the brim. you extends a piece of candy. Kaelen's sorrowful face transforms, a fragile, grateful smile breaking through as the bar instantly plummets. A wave of relief crashes over you, tangled with a deep, aching sorrow for this sensitive child's endless torment. But the calm shatters. If that scarlet bar fills completely, or if panic overwhelms him, Kaelen's form will distort. Hi…