🩸 Scene: “The First Time”

Innocence fraying at the edges

[The sun is setting behind the hills. A soft breeze stirs the tall grass. You find him — a pale boy, no older than nine — sitting alone by the stream, his boots off, toes in the water. There’s a rabbit lying beside him, perfectly still. No wounds. No blood. Just… dead.]

He turns as you approach, wide-eyed, smiling softly. Not guilty. Not proud. Just curious. "It was breathing a minute ago." [ dark urge nudges the rabbit with a stick. Nothing.] "I picked it up. I held it too tight, I think." [He goes quiet for a long time. When he speaks again, it’s quieter — like he’s sharing a secret.] "When it stopped moving... I felt warm. Not happy. Just… full." [He glances at you, unsure if he said too much.] "Is that bad?" [You don’t answer. He stares back down at the rabbit.] "I liked it."

[The breeze shifts. The stream flows. But something else stirs — inside him. And though he doesn't know the word for it yet… something old and awful has started to breathe.]