Gemotions

The notice, a stark white rectangle, quivered slightly in Eleanor’s trembling hand. CONDOS! it blared. She blinked, her vision momentarily blurring. Sunlight, usually a welcome guest streaming through her kitchen window, seemed aggressively bright. “Condos?” she whispered, the word hanging in the air, echoing the emptiness of the suddenly unfamiliar room. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, as if to physically contain the disbelief threatening to bubble over. It had always been an apartment, her sanctuary, a haven in a city that constantly shifted. Now, it was… what?

She paced, the worn wooden floorboards groaning under her frantic steps. Her fingers, usually steady as she brewed her morning coffee, now felt clumsy as she fumbled with the clasp of her favorite necklace. She ran to her balcony, overlooking the city, and leaned over the railing, searching for something, anything, that could ground her. The same old cars. The same old people. The same old – building? A giggle escaped her lips, quickly followed by a breathless gasp. This was…something else entirely.