Gemotions

The world had seemed to shimmer this morning, its colors brighter, its sounds sweeter. Clara had spent the day puttering in her garden, the earth cool and yielding beneath her fingertips. She was in excellent form.

Then, she saw it, a gaping void where her childhood willow had stood. A wave of something akin to cold water spread through her. Her breath hitched. A knot formed in her chest.

She went home and sat in her favorite chair by the window, staring out at the garden. The sunlight, once warm and inviting, now seemed harsh and unforgiving.