Gemotions

The woman’s smile was too bright, her tone too casual. "It's a hazard, you know. Could fall on the house." The oak, the massive, gnarled oak that stood sentinel at the edge of the property line. He stared at it, the leaves rustling in the breeze, and felt an unfamiliar pressure at the back of his eyes.

He remembered her, years ago, tracing the lines of its bark, smiling, a picture he held in his memory like a secret. The air felt thick, heavy, impossible to breathe. He felt a profound sense of helplessness.

He shook his head, unable to speak. His vision blurred, and the world began to spin. He needed to get away, to be alone, to feel this pain in the safe, familiar darkness.