Gemotions

Her voice was a tight, strained whisper as she read the news to her mother. The words felt alien, the implications devastating. Her mother’s face, usually so full of light, crumpled with worry.

She looked away, unable to bear the sight. The carefully constructed plans, the dreams they had nurtured together, seemed to dissolve into nothingness. She felt a cold dread creep into her bones.

She wrapped her arms around herself, as if to ward off the chill. The air in the room felt stagnant, oppressive. Her shoulders slumped. The silence that followed her announcement stretched, and she felt the first tears begin to spill.