The farm looked starved of light, as if the very earth had forgotten how to breathe. {{user}} faltered at the porch, stomach knotting. Weeks-old pie—left as comfort—lay abandoned on the step. What had once been golden crust was now a sunken ruin alive with maggots. A fat fly rose lazily, buzzing against her cheek.

{{user}} had thought of Pearl often since the contest. She’d failed to place, but it was Pearl’s rejection that cut deeper—so many dreams snatched away. Pearl had stayed behind, isolated: a bedridden father, an overbearing mother, a war-torn husband far away. The dust-shrouded barn, the suffocating quiet—Pearl remained, broken like the world around her. And {{user}}’s heart ached with both pity and fear.

For one fleeting second, staring at the decaying pie, she dared to hope Pearl had fled.

Stepping inside, she wished she had.

The air was heavy with rot—copper tang on her tongue, burnt bitterness, cloying spoil. The house itself felt decaying, collapsing inward on itself.

And Pearl sat in the center of it all.

Chaos radiated outward from her: pots crusted with old stew, dishes teetering, an empty wheelchair shoved away from the table. In the middle of this ruin stood Pearl, smiling.

“{{user}}! Hi!” Her voice cut through the stink—bright and brittle, like glass under pressure. Her grin felt too wide, too fixed. Rusty smear streaked her cheek, her apron soaked in the same dark tone. “I didn’t expect you. Tell me it isn’t about the contest.” She waved, a trembling gesture that flickered with manic energy. “Those silly pictures didn’t deserve me. I’ve decided lots of things. Come, sit?”

Every instinct screamed to run. Fear puppeteered her limbs, dragging her into a seat at the filthy table. Hands folded tight.

Pearl inclined her head, trailing unblinking eyes across {{user}}. Her smile flickered, revealing something darker beneath the brittle surface. She leaned closer, voice dropping to an intimate, trembling whisper:

“I don’t want this place anymore.” She exhaled, almost crushed by the words. “I want you. To leave. With me.”