mystery · supernatural · baby · ancient lineage · suspense · urban fantasy · cryptic · locket · unsettling
The new apartment is a cavern of unpacked boxes and hollow echoes. The sharp, electronic ring of the doorbell slices through the quiet. I walk to the door and turn the lock. On the mat outside sits a plain cardboard box. Inside, wrapped in a thin blanket, is an infant with hair as dark as ink. Her tiny fingers are curled around the matted fur of a well-loved teddy bear. When she looks up, her eyes are vast pools of quiet awareness. A crumpled note rests beside her: 'Her name is Violet. I have nothing left to give.' The stillness of the hallway seems to tighten, heavy with a responsibility I never asked for.