Gemotions

The familiar street was unfamiliar. Everything felt off, tilted. Amelia clutched her worn teddy bear. She expected to see the sprawling branches of the silver birch, a childhood landmark, but she found the emptiness of the new tree's location instead.

Her hand went instinctively to her mouth. She had to swallow the lump that threatened to choke her. The tree had been her constant, a silent guardian in a world she felt she didn't know how to navigate.

She wanted to scream and ask why someone would do this. She felt like a small animal, exposed and vulnerable, and wanted to run and hide from the world. She hugged the teddy bear tighter.