The electric can opener refused to operate. The button was pressed many times, but it simply sat there and did not turn on.
The last can of tuna was left on the counter beside it.
↯
The elevator was still open. It was still open, even after days of being left vacant.
A red shape went inside. A prehensile, scaled limb slapped at the controls. They remained dark and unresponsive. They continued getting slapped at. After a while, a breath of air was released and the red shape left. The bucket inside got taken with it.
↯
An orange shape rolled in the middle of the hall.
↯
Drip. Drip. Drip.
On the floor below the domicile of the Little Red Monster, water kept on dripping in. A terrible reek of mold permeated the atmosphere.
A pop, and the red shape tumbled out of the ceiling. It laid still on the floor a moment before a rattling sound was heard; soon after, it took off on its way.
↯
In a mysterious place, static roiled in the sky. Everywhere above, little arcs of electric charges jumped between nodes. They gathered in packs and leaped together, traveling the sky and bringing forth life in the little world.
Below, a pit. It twisted as it sank deeper into the depths of the place. The lightning packs occasionally attempted a dive into that pit, maybe once every few hours. A terrible presence seated there guarded the entrance to the pit, seizing control of it as its own. It was as a hermit crab to its shell, so the dancing lights left well alone. It glowed with green and gold terribleness.
↯
The red shape emerged on the ground floor of the building. It crept into the lobby and slowly moved toward the entrance. A rattling sound was heard.
It sat like that for a long, long, long time. The sky outside remained dark.
Lightning flashed. Thunder boomed. Rain poured.
↳
Ouch, there goes the power.
6077709
I can dig the crazy, but it's leaning a bit too strong on the
weeaboowoobie aspect, I fear.If I had to make a seapony scared of water, I'd have her change on a sunny day, and just go straight for the apartment complex's pool, and then have the rainstorm the next day when she's hiding inside. That's a bit divergent from what you've already written though.
The poetic prose is quite beautiful.
6078798
'Weeaboo aspect', you say? I have no idea what that means. If you're saying this feels like an animé — or some cliché japanese thing... You're free to feel that way. But I take no inspiration from those arts, at least not directly.
I don't get the point behind what you're saying with the weather. By making the first day sunny, that'd be plot convenience, giving Cala a definitive reason not to go outside at the start of the story. It's one of those things that paves over avoidable plot holes; while it seems good on the surface, it restricts the sense of freedom within the story. One of the things I really like is not being able to see where the story takes the character next. By the end of 'Nextdoor', you have absolutely no idea where the story's going; Cala can do literally anything within her physical capability, which isn't much because she hasn't yet found any good way to move around. Taking away the water outside doesn't change her decision to visit the pool, because she has a solid reason for going there first, so doing that just allows the audience to predict that she would be staying inside.
Besides, I have other reasons to make it stormy for the entirety of the first part of the story. It creates an atmosphere and environment that I can, and did, abuse to set the mood for the story. It also establishes that this story takes place in Washington, which is infamous for being 'that state where it always rains' (as a Washingtonite myself that's complete bull, but I'll take what I can get). Finally, it allows time to elapse after the first part because Cala can't leave the apartment. Those are all plenty good reasons for why I started out the story this way, regardless of the hydrophobia arc.
Oh, and it creates the opportunity for me to push a fucking melting pot of irony. Bonus points if you can find it on your own.
6078798 there hasn't been a single mention of anything japanese so far.
Unless I missed it somehow
6106007 Actually yes. Bet you can't guess how the story ends.
6078938
exterminatusnow.co.uk/comics/20110618-healthy-skepticism.jpg
The state where it always rains is Oregon.