Gemotions

The phone had been ringing incessantly all day, weather warnings blaring across every channel. Even so, the sound still caught him off guard. The explosion was the precursor to a silence that made his ears ring.

He had been working in the kitchen, making dinner. He turned to the window, his hand still holding the knife. He stared, unblinking.

The tree. The massive pine that had stood for generations. He stood, paralyzed, staring at the destruction. The world was now somehow off balance. He gripped the counter, his knuckles white.