“That’s disgusting,” my husband said behind me. “Probably some kind of insect nest.”
That word—nest—made my stomach tighten.
I didn’t want to believe that. But now that he said it, I couldn’t unthink it.
We stood there for a while, both of us staring at it like it might suddenly reveal its purpose if we looked long enough. The silence in the room shifted. It didn’t feel like the calm of a vacation anymore. It felt like the pause before something unpleasant is discovered.
I reached for my phone and took a picture. My hands were steadier than I expected, but inside, I felt unsettled.
Then I did what everyone does in moments of uncertainty: I searched.
