Gemotions

The phone call had come just as she was finally settling down with a cup of tea and a good book. "We'd like to remove the tree," the neighbor, a man she barely knew, had said. "It's… interfering with our view." Her grip tightened on the mug, the warmth suddenly feeling inadequate.

She found herself gripping the cold steel of the porch railing. The view! The tree had stood for decades, a vital part of the landscape. And they wanted to destroy it to improve their…view? Her vision blurred momentarily, and she blinked, feeling a prickling sensation behind her eyes.

"No," she'd said, her voice trembling slightly. "It's not happening."

She retreated back inside, the tea suddenly bitter in her mouth. She poured it down the drain and stood there, her body rigid, contemplating the sheer thoughtlessness of the world.