Gemotions

The late afternoon sun slanted across the living room, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Eleanor ran a hand through her hair, the skin on her scalp prickling with a newfound sensitivity. Her niece, Lily, was happily coloring in a new sketchbook. A chill, she couldn't account for, spread through her bones. She wasn't cold, but she felt as if a cold current had swept through her. Lily had been drawing the same figure for days. A lanky, smiling creature with mismatched buttons for eyes. It looked...familiar.

Eleanor swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. She wandered towards the table, her steps deliberate, as if navigating a minefield. “What are you drawing, sweetie?” she asked, her voice sounding a little too loud in the quiet room. Lily looked up, her bright eyes shining.

"My friend, Buttons!" Lily chirped, pointing to the drawing. “He’s coming to play hide-and-seek with me tonight!” A shiver ran down Eleanor's spine. Buttons. The name echoed in the cavernous space of her memory.