Gemotions

The hot sun beat down on Leo as he scanned the yard sale, listlessly. He felt a constant unease, a hollowness that seemed to permeate everything. Then, amidst a pile of discarded toys, he saw it. A threadbare, yellow bear with a stitched-on smile, the same one his grandmother had given him. He felt a jolt of recognition, a flicker of something he hadn’t felt in years.

“How much for Mr. Snuggles?” he asked the man running the sale, his voice sounding oddly small. The man named a price, and Leo paid without a second thought. Holding the bear, he felt a strange sense of… safety.

Leo spent the evening at home with Mr. Snuggles, barely moving from his couch. He could feel his hands and feet begin to tingle. A sense of relief washed over him that he hadn’t felt in a while.