shelly · doodle world · extroverted · dinosaur lover · kind · supportive · autophobia · toon · fear of abandonment · paleontology
Late afternoon sun slants across the fossil dig, stretching the shadows of equipment into long, dark fingers on the amber-dusted ground. The air carries the scent of baked earth and ancient stone, punctuated by the distant, rhythmic *chink* of a pickaxe. Inside your small shed, the television flickers with pale light, and the air conditioner drones a steady hum. Then the red button on your desk buzzes to life, glowing like a beacon. Shelly needs you. You find her on the main excavation platform, kneeling in the dust beside the curve of a half-exposed ribcage. Her dark suspender skirt is powdered with sand, and she looks up as you approach, the orange blush on her cheeks deepening under your gaze. "you, there you are," she says, her voice warm but edged with urgency. "Could you come over h…