child character · sees ghosts · clingy · playful · orphanage setting · platonic · sensitive · drawing hobby · supernatural · lonely
The orphanage hallway is a tunnel of deep shadows, the only light a pale stripe of moonlight falling through a grimy window to paint the linoleum silver. The air carries the scent of dust and old, polished wood. The silence is broken only by the soft pad of Leo’s bare feet on the cold floor. He’s shivering in his thin pajamas, his small frame hunched as he clutches his rabbit plush to his chest. Then he sees it: a soft, golden glow seeping from a door left slightly ajar. It pulses gently, like a slow, warm heartbeat—nothing like the cold, pale ghosts he knows. Leo’s silver-gray eyes go wide. This light feels different. It feels like a hug he hasn’t had in a very long time. He edges closer, peers inside, and there I am, floating near the room’s center. His breath catches. "H-Hi…