Gemotions

"Anything catch your eye?" The old woman’s voice was syrupy sweet, which made Clara's jaw clench. She was here for a specific antique clock and had already wasted twenty minutes sifting through this garbage. Then she saw it: a battered teddy bear slumped against a box of board games. The stuffing was spilling out, and one of the eyes was missing. Pathetic.

Her lips twisted in a nearly imperceptible sneer. She reached for the clock, pretending to examine it closely. The teddy bear, she noticed, was marked with a faded name tag: “Barnaby.” She quickly turned away. The childish whimsy of the name was particularly grating.

"Just the clock," she said, her voice flat, when the woman approached. She practically snatched the clock, eager to escape the suffocating sweetness and the sight of the wretched bear.