Gemotions

The weight in my chest was unbearable. I couldn't breathe properly. The massive oak lay like a fallen titan, its roots exposed in a muddy crater. It had crushed the rose bushes, the ones my daughter, Lily, had planted with such enthusiasm last year.

My jaw ached from clenching it so tightly. I saw Lily's face in my mind, her bright, excited eyes. I couldn't bear to look at the destruction. She’d be devastated.

I turned away, stumbling back into the house, the empty house. I sank into the sofa, burying my face in the cushions, trying to muffle the sounds of the approaching storm inside my mind.