Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash, just like everything else lately. Daniel stared out the window, the rain mirroring the gloom clinging to his mood. He was babysitting his niece, Clara, a task he’d accepted with a sigh and a silent vow to survive the ordeal. She presented him with a picture – a crude sketch of a house, but hovering above it was a creature with iridescent wings and three eyes.

He felt a knot tighten in his stomach. The ‘Sky Sprite’ was a memory he’d buried deep, a relic of a time he’d rather forget. He found himself picking at a loose thread on the sofa. “What’s this?” he asked, his voice strained.

Clara beamed. “My friend, Sparkle! He protects our house!” Daniel turned away, a wave of weariness washing over him. He mumbled something about needing more coffee.