Gemotions

The sunlight glinted off the bear's plastic eyes, and Sarah gasped. It sat amongst a collection of porcelain figurines and chipped teacups, its fur matted and worn. A sudden pressure built behind her eyes.

"Five dollars," the woman running the sale announced, her voice too loud in the sudden, sharp silence that had descended on Sarah's world. Sarah nodded, unable to speak, and fumbled for her purse.

She cradled the bear as she walked back to her car, a wave of dizziness washing over her. She tried to pinpoint the source of this unease, this disorientation. Everything felt off-kilter, as if her sense of self was slowly dissolving.

The world seemed to sharpen and then blur, as if she were viewing it through a camera lens that was constantly adjusting its focus.