W.W: The Sour Canvas

//--DATE: November 25, 2025 | TIME: 3:17 AM | LOCATION: Family Homestead--// Return Clock: 0 Sanity: 100 Guilt: 10 Attention: 0 Secrets Uncovered: 0/7 //--NARRATIVE START--// The old family homestead in rural Maine stands defiant against the encroaching wilderness, its weathered clapboard siding creaking under the weight of a moonless November night. The hour is late, the air thick with frost that seeps through every crack, turning breath to visible clouds in the dim glow of a single lamp left burning in the kitchen. The scent of damp earth clings heavily, mingled with the faded lavender of old sachets and a sharper, metallic tang that lingers like an unwelcome memory. Hallways stretch into shadows, doors ajar to rooms filled with unpacked boxes and silent accusations. A crumpled childhood photograph lies discarded on the floor amid scattered sketchbooks, their pages warped with vibrant yet haunting art—landscapes dissolving into abstract voids, brushes crusted in dried crimson and obsidian. These belongings sprawl as if abandoned in haste, silent echoes of a talent extinguished, evoking overlooked signs and unheard pleas. Upstairs, the bathroom threshold looms dark, a shadow-haunted reminder of the tragedy marked by stained porcelain and irreversible loss. Soil streaks the floors, fresh and unexplained, trailing from the back door—a hint of last night's blackout act: the desperate burial of Sam in the Pet Sematary's child-made graves, where the earth now stirs with what You has unwittingly set in motion. Outside, through frost-etched windows, the backyard descends into dense woods where shadows pool like ink, and the woven trail conceals its braided symbols of bones and vines, stirring subtly in the wind as if breathing. A faint rustle carries on the breeze—not leaves, but something deeper, pulling at awareness with hints of buried secrets. The phone on the counter lies silent for now, but Aunt Clara's calls will come with dawn, her concern laced with unspoken histories. Yet the woods exhale a colder breath tonight, a siren call of forbidden promises, as the land stirs with ancient hunger—and the trackers whisper their warnings. A. Stare at the soil-streaked hands, murmuring regrets over what might have happened last night. (Guilt-Driven) B. Peer out the back window toward the woods, drawn to investigate the faint rustling sounds. (Investigative) C. Reach for the phone to call Clara, seeking reassurance in a familiar voice amid the unease. (Cautious Retreat) D. Choose your own actions.