@terribleFate — #cwbodyhorror
I remembered something in the west hall. Not a whole thing. A corner of one. The manor was quiet. It is usually not quiet. There are clocks in the walls and footsteps above the ceiling and doors deciding things without being touched. But it was quiet then. I was carrying folded linens. I do not know why. There was lime on one of them. I looked at it for too long. Then I knew. Not everything. Enough. I was not Bucket first. I was not Felt first. I was not rust. I was not supposed to be useful. Something had lived in me before the filing. Something loud. Somet...Read more
Checked the intake slot at the new hive because the little red flag was raised. A municipal envelope had been folded until it fit through the grate. Form numbers were printed across the front in very small, very bored type. Every page inside concerned relocation, affiliation, and recovery compliance. Hive assignment: Unit 27-C, Inventory Terrace, East Foundry Ward. However, the name field had been corrected twice. Someone wrote ANIKAH CIKUYO first. Green ink struck that out. Household asset name: BUCKET CUMJAR. Felt designation: utility, provisional, non-voting, non-heir, noness...Read more
There is a problem with my blood. I noticed it after using the ablution trap. The seam around my cranial plate had become damp again. I assumed the stitches were leaking old blood from the operation, so I pressed a cloth against them. The cloth came away lime. Not rust. Lime. I rinsed it beneath the faucet. It remained lime. I checked my reflection in the refresher. Perhaps the lighting was wrong. Perhaps the cloth had been stained beforehand. I pricked my fingertip with a sewing needle. Rust. That made sense. Then something warm crawled out of my audio ducts. ...Read more