Gemotions

"Oh, it's just a little bear," the woman selling the items said. She looked at him with what he thought was pity. He'd been drawn to the bear, Freddy, across the lawn. The bear's fur was worn, and its button eye was missing.

He found he couldn't refuse to buy it. He paid her, the money feeling like burning coals in his palm. He walked away quickly, but he found himself looking back. He could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.

Back home, he locked the door and sat with the bear. He felt a creeping dread, an icy hand tracing its way down his spine. The silence of the house pressed in on him, suffocating him. He thought he heard his name whispered from the shadows.