Gemotions

The air felt thick, heavy, as she walked the familiar path. Sunlight, once cherished, felt like an unwelcome spotlight on the devastation. Where a sturdy oak had once stood, reaching for the sky, was a gaping void. A silent wound. She ran a hand along the rough texture of the remaining stump, feeling the phantom presence of the leaves, the rustling, the shade. A wave of nausea rolled through her, leaving her suddenly lightheaded, as if the ground itself had shifted beneath her feet.