Baleful (adjective): foreboding or threatening evil. "Will you walk into my parlour?" said a spider to a fly.
Prompt from the 2021 prompt list.
The scent of pipe smoke greets you as you open the door to your house. Your home. You are frozen on the threshold. You consider simply shutting the door. Leaving. You could gather up your karakul and the skeletons in the well and just… go. There will be other homes. “Oh, Blessing, there you are!” A sun-dried drawl banishes all thoughts of fleeing. The moment you opened the door she knew you were there. A spider sensing a bug on her web. You stay frozen on the threshold as you try to school your expression into something pleasant and warm and maybe even welcoming. Odile moves from the shadows and you know at once you’ve failed. She looks far too amused. The edge of her laughter creeps into her voice like the flash of a blade. You feel sick looking at her face; at once familiar and not. She claimed, long ago, to be your blood relative and you admitted to seeing the resemblance. But your mouth has never twisted into such a smirk and your eyes have never been so cold. “Well, don’t just stand there, sweet girl. Come in.” Your Aunt coos. Like it's not your house. Something in you ripples to life and had you hackles, they would raise.
