Gemotions

Rain lashed against the car window, mirroring the storm brewing inside Marcus. He despised the world. Everything. Even the stupid, cheerful banner flapping above the yard sale entrance grated on his nerves. He parked illegally, the ticket just one more thing on the long list of injustices he’d suffered.

He trawled the tables, a knot of unease twisting in his stomach. The smell of stale coffee and desperation hung heavy in the air. Then, amongst a jumble of broken toys, he saw it. Barnaby. His childhood bear. One leg was missing, and the stuffing spilled from a gaping hole in his side.

He felt a sudden, intense urge to crush it, to rip it apart. To hurt *something*. He grabbed the bear without a word to the elderly woman minding the sale. He tossed a twenty on the table, more than it was worth, and stalked back to his car. He slammed the door, the sound echoing in the rain-soaked street.