Gemotions

The pickup truck rumbled to a halt on the familiar dirt track. Sunlight, a cruel glare, glinted off the empty space. Where it should have stood, a sentinel of green, was only a raw stump. His jaw clenched. He’d driven a hundred miles, anticipating the sight, the comforting presence. Now, a cold hollowness replaced the anticipation.

He slammed the truck door, the sound echoing in the sudden quiet. A fist, uncontrolled, balled tight. The air felt thick, difficult to breathe. He’d nurtured that sapling, a tiny thing rescued from a school fair, and now…it was gone.

"Who…" The word hung in the air, unfinished, a question directed at the indifferent sky. He kicked at a loose stone, sending it skittering across the dry earth.