Gemotions

"But... but you said…" Sarah stammered, her voice catching in her throat. The phone line crackled with static, the voice on the other end a muffled apology. Her mother. The cancellation. The shock of it still hadn't fully registered.

The beautifully decorated living room, transformed with fairy lights and streamers, suddenly appeared alien, unfamiliar. Her hands were ice-cold. She ran her fingers through the perfectly coiffed hair she'd spent an hour on.

She sank onto the sofa, the plush cushions offering no comfort. The colorful, unopened presents on the coffee table seemed to stare back at her with silent judgment. She felt a strange tingling sensation in her limbs, a disconnect from her own body.