Gemotions

Thomas surveyed the yard sale with a predatory gaze. His stomach churned with a strange anticipation. He needed that porcelain doll. He recognized it immediately from a distant memory, a flicker of childhood nostalgia. He moved towards it, a sense of urgency building in his chest, as if the world would end if he didn’t possess it.

"And how much for this?" he asked, his voice tight, his knuckles white as he pointed at the doll. The seller, a young man with messy hair, said, "Five dollars." Five dollars! Thomas thought. He could see how others would spend their money. He brushed past the other objects of interest, dismissing them. He had a twenty and the feeling of wanting to spend it immediately took over.

Thomas handed over the bill, then snatched up the doll before the seller could even hand back the change. He held it close, a strange sense of ownership flooding him, a feeling he wasn't used to but which he now craved. His world, in that moment, was the porcelain doll and the satisfaction of having it.