Gemotions

“Five bucks!” the boy selling it shouted, his voice high-pitched. Martha’s hands had begun to shake at the sight of the bear. Its fur was practically nonexistent. Its single remaining ear was partially torn. She remembered how she had loved it, how she had lost it.

She dug out the bills from her purse, her fingers clumsy. She barely registered the boy’s thanks. The air seemed to be thickening around her. She fled.

Later, she found herself walking in circles. She brought the bear with her. She kept touching it. The world felt muffled, distant. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She kept whispering, "Mine, mine, mine," over and over again.