Gemotions

The crisp autumn air nipped at Elias's cheeks as he hurried down the street. He’d just finished a long, demanding week at work. He was free for the weekend, and that fact sparked an ease in his steps. He glanced into the window of the pawn shop, a place he enjoyed visiting, a haven for lost things.

A flash of gold caught his eye. He entered, the jingle of the door a welcome sound. There, sparkling under the harsh fluorescent lights, was a familiar ring. It was the ring his grandmother had worn every day until she passed, a ring with a cluster of ruby red stones. He remembered the stories she used to tell.

He asked to see it. As he held it, the smoothness of the gold warmed his palm, a wave of comfort spreading through him. He felt… settled. He paid the shopkeeper without a second thought, already imagining the stories he would tell with it.