Gemotions

She’d spent weeks on the decorations. Balloons, streamers, the perfect playlist, everything meticulously arranged to celebrate her grandfather's milestone birthday. The thought of his face, the crinkled eyes, the booming laughter as he walked into the room, had kept her going through the late nights and frantic preparations. The voicemail crackled in her ear. "Unexpected... sorry... can't happen." A shiver ran down her spine, and she dropped the phone. Her hands started to tremble, a fine, almost imperceptible tremor that quickly amplified into something more pronounced. She felt a strong urge to simply curl up on the floor. The world felt suddenly precarious.