Gemotions

"I can't believe she's gone," Clara murmured, her voice barely audible. Her brother, Ben, clapped her on the shoulder, a gesture that felt more like a burden than a comfort. The walls of the house seemed to press in on her, the familiar patterns of the wallpaper suddenly garish and mocking. Everything felt wrong.

She wandered through the living room, her fingers tracing the dusty surface of the grand piano. It was the same piano her grandmother had played, the same one she’d taken lessons on. She remembered the warmth of her grandmother’s hands, the smell of her perfume. She felt a sudden, sharp pain in her chest, a tightening that made it difficult to breathe. She wasn’t sure how she would get through this.