Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the pawn shop hummed, a monotonous drone that amplified the emptiness in Clara’s head. She felt like a broken machine, whirring without purpose. The days bled into one another, marked only by the rising and setting of the sun, each one a struggle. It had been like this for…too long.

She wandered aimlessly through the aisles, her gaze skimming over the merchandise. The sight of other people, pawning their things, only fueled her malaise. Then, in a display case of tarnished silver, she saw it. Her grandmother's ring. A wide band of carved jade with a tiny, almost invisible chip.

Her pulse quickened, a small, unwelcome spark of something. She felt a sudden urge to run, to escape the shop, the memory. But her feet remained rooted to the spot.

"How much?" she asked, her voice a brittle sound.