Gemotions

The shock hit her like a physical blow. The flowering dogwood, which she and her husband had planted on their wedding anniversary, was gone. Just a stump remained. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. She wanted to yell.

She remembered how they had laughed, how they had planned for a future. The tree was their first act of creation together. It was their symbol of love.

She saw a single, fallen blossom, its delicate petals crushed on the ground. She knelt, her fingers tracing its fragile beauty. She felt a deep pain.