the feeling on page 3 when you realize they’re all Looking At You is so intense and unsettling.
the story speculates that the author must have been genuine, since his skill is there, and claims he “can’t have drawn with ill will”, but…that would mean that he genuinely perceived things this way and didn’t see anything wrong with the manuscript as it was. if he’s “innocent”, then he must have believed everyone was staring at him all the time? or wanted to show someone else how it felt, without knowing what the effect would be?
he never submitted it, so maybe he realized it was cursed…