Gemotions

He flinched as the insistent rapping began on his front door. He knew who it was even before he saw Mrs. Periwinkle's disapproving face through the peephole. "The hammering, David!" she sputtered. "It's been going on all morning!"

He let her in, the space between them filled with a heavy silence. He didn't know what to say. His hands were raw, his fingers blistered. He'd been building something, anything, for the last few days, and it hadn't stopped even when his body ached with exertion.

"I…I'll try and be quieter," he managed, his voice hoarse. But it felt like a lie. The hammering was the only thing keeping him from the stillness.