Gemotions

The first thing Maria did each morning was to check the progress of the renovations. Her morning coffee suddenly tasted bitter. She watched the workers from her kitchen window, her gaze fixed, her body rigid.

She’d started keeping the curtains drawn, though she’d always loved the natural light. It wasn’t the noise that bothered her most. It was the feeling of being watched, of being observed. It was the change.

She retreated to her basement, finding solace in the dim, quiet space. Even down there, though, she couldn't escape the vibrations. She had a terrible sense of being exposed, of being unsafe.