Gemotions

The aroma of freshly-baked cookies did not soothe him. Instead, it made him want to vomit. He’d never been drawn to yard sales, but this one…it had something. A feeling. He saw it: Teddy. He hadn’t seen Teddy for years. It looked dirty and forlorn.

"Three dollars," said a man with a bored expression. He almost fled. He paid the man. He fled.

Back at his apartment, the world seemed to tilt on its axis. He couldn’t stop staring at the bear. His breathing became shallow, rapid. He felt a desperate need to cleanse something, to scrub away something unseen, something lingering.