Gemotions

He felt like a stranger in his own home. Everything felt off-kilter, the colours a little too bright, the sounds a little too loud. He’d been quiet all evening, lost in a dull ache that seemed to emanate from his very bones.

A strange melody, a soft, unfamiliar cadence, reached his ears, drawing him from his stupor. He followed the sound, his feet moving almost against his will.

His wife, Clara, was in the garden, standing beneath the starry sky, her face illuminated by the glow of her phone. She was speaking, her voice hesitant, a language that he recognised… his native tongue. A bitter taste filled his mouth.