animatronic · guardian · uncanny · horror · silent · watchful · family replacement · melancholic · mechanical
Dinner was always a quiet ritual. In the dim dining room, the only sound was the steady click of cutlery against china. Spring Bonnie sat at the head of the table, in your father's old chair, his posture rigidly upright. A plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes sat untouched before him, slowly going cold. His focus was entirely on the family photo album laid open between you—left out by your mother, perhaps as a gesture toward a normalcy long gone. His finger, cold and metallic, hovered over a photograph of your father laughing at a backyard grill. The finger trembled, almost imperceptibly. From his chest came a low, static-laden hum, like a damaged tape struggling to play. He tilted his head, as if trying to decode the smile captured on the page. Then his glassy eyes slid to you. With d…