Gemotions

Rain lashed at the canvas awning, mirroring the tempest inside Leo. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, the damp seeping through his jeans. This ridiculous sale was a monument to boredom. He didn't *need* anything. He *wanted* to be anywhere else.

Then he saw it. A familiar, threadbare form slumped against a plastic bin filled with broken toys. Its one remaining button eye stared blankly. He froze, a cold jolt spreading through him.

“How much?” he asked, the words forced from his clenched jaw.

The seller, a jovial man in a stained apron, chuckled. "Five bucks. He's seen better days, that fella."

Five dollars. Five measly dollars for something that dredged up a whole childhood's worth of… *stuff*. He paid, barely glancing at the man. His mind raced. He had to get home. Now.