Gemotions

The chipped paint of the rocking horse caught Elara's eye first, then the stack of mismatched teacups. She was about to move on when something soft and familiar peeked from beneath a pile of dusty board games. It was a bear, missing one button eye and smelling faintly of mothballs. Her hand trembled as she reached for it.

"He's been sitting there a while," the woman running the sale said, her voice gravelly from shouting prices all morning. "Five bucks." Elara nodded, clutching the bear. A strange lightness filled her chest, chased by a prickling sensation at the back of her neck. What was this feeling?

She paid, almost forgetting the change. Back in her car, she sat for a long moment, the bear resting on her lap. The faded red ribbon around its neck felt impossibly small, a poignant reminder of a time she couldn't quite grasp. The world seemed to tilt on its axis for a moment.