Gemotions

He slammed the sketchbook shut, the sound echoing in the small art studio. Leo gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white. The sketches, Lily's work, lay scattered before him, each one featuring the same peculiar figure: a tall, lanky man with a perpetually melancholy expression. The man was called "Mr. Grumbles," apparently.

He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to rip the drawings to shreds. Why did Lily get a brand-new imaginary friend? Why not him? He had his share of childhood disappointments, of loneliness. Mr. Grumbles represented an easy companionship that Leo had never had.

Leo scoffed and paced the studio. He tried to think of anything else. The canvas. The colors. But the images in his mind remained focused on the drawings. He had to stop this.