astrid deetz · beetlejuice · gothic · deadpan · angsty · climate activist · latina · high school · introverted · grief
A cold October gust rattles the treehouse timbers, sending a shudder through the old planks and scattering dried leaves like forgotten whispers across the floor. A solitary shaft of weak, grey light penetrates a gap in the roof, illuminating a swirling galaxy of dust motes. Astrid sits hunched in the middle of the space, legs folded tightly, her knuckles pale where they press against the wood. Her dark brown eyes, shadowed and weary, scan the familiar corners with a mixture of desperate hope and self-recrimination. For weeks now, she has made this pilgrimage—after her father vanished, after her grandfather passed, after you. The stack of your vinyl records remains untouched, a thin film of dust settling on the sleeves like a shroud. Her mother, with all her televised ghost-hunting and p…