Gemotions

He nearly snorted when he saw it. There, in the corner of his nephew's latest masterpiece – a depiction of a ferocious dinosaur battling a robot – was a creature with three eyes, purple skin, and a perpetually worried expression. It was *him*. At least, it was the version of him that he’d conjured at age seven, after a bad bout of the flu. He’d named the creature Flibbertigibbet, and it was his constant companion, especially when he was feeling poorly.

He ruffled Leo’s hair, his laughter threatening to spill over. “Who is this, Leo? He looks like he’s about to cry.”

Leo scrunched up his nose. “Flibbertigibbet. He's afraid of the dinosaur. He always is.”

He had to take a deep breath to maintain his composure. This was just too much.