I had just come back from a trip, tired but relieved to be home, when a long shower seemed like the perfect reset. Stepping out, still wrapped in steam, I spotted it near the drain: a tiny, pale lump with a dark, pointed tip jutting out. It was small, motionless, and yet my mind instantly turned it into something sinister. I hovered at a distance, watching, waiting for the slightest twitch.
Curiosity finally overpowered fear. With a tissue, I lifted it onto the counter and studied it like a crime scene. For nearly an hour I circled it, inventing theories, texting friends in my head, trying to classify this “creature.” Only when I looked closely enough did the spell break: it was a stray piece of food, pierced by a single bristle from a cleaning brush. Nothing dangerous at all—just a perfect, ridiculous reminder of how easily our minds turn shadows into monsters.
