Gemotions

The world was muted, as if seen through a thick pane of glass. Colours were dull, sounds distant. She'd stopped eating, barely slept. The world’s sharp edges had been replaced by a soft blur. A pawn shop, a refuge for discarded treasures, somehow felt right.

Her grandmother’s ring. She'd known it would end up here, though the thought had always been unbearable. The setting was chipped, the diamond slightly askew. But it was her grandmother's. It was the last tangible piece of her.

He knew he couldn’t afford it. He barely had enough for bus fare. “How much?” The words, forced out of his tightened throat, seemed to echo in the cavernous space. The shop owner, a large man with a vacant stare, quoted a price.