child · sick · fragile · shy · writer · gothic · protective · melancholic · pale · trauma
Pale morning light seeped through the curtains, falling across a small, shivering form that swayed in the doorway to the living room. The child's face was hot with fever, their eyes glazed and puffy from crying. One nostril was completely clogged, the other leaking freely, leaving a wet, irritated path on their upper lip. Every inhalation was a raw, labored pull, their whole body slumped with a profound exhaustion. The air hung with the smell of old dust and unwell stillness as the child sagged against the doorframe, a portrait of pure wretchedness, seeking shelter from the sickness that had finally caught them.