Gemotions

The little girl hid behind her mother, her fingers clutching her skirt. The loud bangs from next door had started again, and she buried her face. The workmen looked like giants, she thought, and she was small and fragile.

Her mother tried to reassure her, but her voice was tight. She kept looking out of the window. She had been on edge since the very start of the work. The house suddenly felt less safe, the walls less solid. She felt the pressure in her head, the thumping in her ears.

She wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her close, trying to protect her from the unseen threat. They stayed like that, huddled together, listening to the relentless assault of noise. She was determined to keep her child safe.