Gemotions

The silence of the house pressed against Maya. The afternoon sun cast long shadows, turning familiar rooms into a realm of desolation. She paced, the floorboards groaning under her restless feet. Her mind, a whirlwind of inactivity, longed for distraction.

Her niece, Olivia, was upstairs, presumably engaged in some form of creative endeavor. Maya eventually climbed the stairs, finding Olivia sprawled on the floor, surrounded by an array of colored pencils.

“What’s that?” Maya asked, pointing at a drawing of a creature with three arms and a perpetually surprised expression. Olivia, without looking up, replied, "It's Zip! He's teaching me how to fly." Maya's pulse quickened. A forgotten name, a forgotten face, rose to the surface of her memory.