Gemotions

The sheriff’s deputy, his face impassive, had just handed Sarah the notice. She felt a lightness in her limbs, an impossible lightness. Her usual anxieties, her constant worries about finances, seemed to evaporate, replaced by a peculiar stillness. The city noises outside her door faded, the roar of traffic, the distant sirens, all muffled. The world seemed to pause. She walked back into her apartment, the scent of lavender from the potpourri on the coffee table suddenly overwhelming. She reached out and touched the dusty petals, feeling the rough texture against her skin.