Gemotions

The afternoon sun dripped across the patio, casting long shadows that stretched and shrank with agonizing slowness. Sarah sighed, the sound a soft puff of air against the oppressive stillness. She lay on the hammock, the gentle rocking doing nothing to soothe the persistent thrum of unease in her chest. A stray tennis ball lay abandoned nearby, a relic of a game played long ago.

Suddenly, a flash of white fur erupted from behind the hedges. Buster, the neighborhood golden retriever, was at it again, bounding across her lawn with joyous abandon. Sarah rolled her eyes, pushing herself up with a groan. "Not again, buddy," she muttered, her voice lacking any real conviction.

She trudged towards the dog, the walk feeling infinitely long. The usual feeling of mild frustration was replaced by something else, a strange hollowness.