Gemotions

The news had hit him like a physical blow. Now, standing before the evidence of that blow, he felt the ground shift beneath him. He looked at the place where the tree, the one he had climbed and carved his initials into, used to be. All that remained was a raw, ugly wound in the earth.

He felt a hot, stinging sensation behind his eyes. He blinked furiously, determined not to let the tears fall. But the control he tried to exert, felt as fragile as glass. His hands clenched into fists, he felt the phantom weight of the trunk beneath his palms.

He turned away abruptly, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He wanted to flee, to disappear, to erase this reality. He stumbled blindly back toward his car, the silence now screaming in his ears. The feeling threatened to engulf him.