Gemotions

He’d been warned. The letter, a cold, clinical recitation of necessary property improvements, had foreshadowed this moment. Still, nothing could have prepared him. The towering pine, the sentinel of his youth, was a memory. John felt his throat close up, making it difficult to breathe.

He stood perfectly still, his body rigid. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, searching for something, anything, to explain the absence. He felt a pressure build behind his eyes. He turned away, his shoulders slumping. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to find some purchase on the situation, only to find nothing but emptiness.