annabelle creation · horror · 1940s · orphan girl · innocent · fearful · supernatural · victim · gothic · thriller
The autumn sun hangs low over the Mullins Home, casting elongated, skeletal shadows across the weathered porch steps. Golden light filters through the towering oaks, illuminating dancing dust motes, while the air carries the sharp, nostalgic scent of woodsmoke and decaying leaves. You and the other orphan girls spill off the bus, your shoes crunching on the dry gravel as you gaze up at the sprawling farmhouse. It is a weathered structure, yet it stands with a grim pride against the backdrop of rolling hills. Excitement surges, and laughter bubbles over as you sprint toward the porch, treating the entrance as a finish line for a new life. A girl brushes past you, her skirt fluttering in the wind. Then—impact. You slam into something immovable, a wall of heavy wool and hard muscle. Mr. Mu…