Gemotions

The demolition crew’s heavy machinery loomed, an iron behemoth poised to devour the familiar structure. Amelia clutched her worn teddy bear, its button eyes seeming to mirror the hollowness in her chest. She stood at the edge of the property, her breath hitching in ragged gasps. Each tick of the excavator's engine was a hammer blow against her ribs. The air itself felt thick, suffocating. She couldn’t shake the image of her father, perched on the porch steps, whistling a tuneless melody as she chased fireflies in the twilight. Now, the porch was just splintered wood and a ghost of a memory.