Gemotions

Sarah felt a pressure in her chest, a knot she couldn't seem to loosen. The sight of the sun-faded teddy bear, almost identical to the one she'd lost during a family move twenty years ago, tightened the knot further. This yard sale was a waste of a Saturday. Everything here was worthless. "Is that...?" she stammered, pointing at the bear. The woman selling it looked up, her smile wide.

"Oh, yes! Isn't he sweet? Only three dollars!" Three dollars. For a piece of her past, discarded like trash. Sarah's teeth ground together.

She found herself, almost against her will, picking the bear up. The familiar scent of mothballs and old cotton filled her nostrils. She remembered the nights her mother had read to her, the bear tucked under her arm. The memories didn't bring comfort, however. They brought more clenching in her jaw. She paid and then left, the stuffed toy a burning weight.