Gemotions

The insistent hammering of the neighbor's request was a rude disruption to Charles’s carefully planned Sunday. "A little space for a few things?" He felt a wave of coldness wash over him.

He pictured the mess, the weeds, the intrusion on his quiet life. He had spent years transforming his yard into a haven, a place of order and control. He was suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful urge to cause pain.

He crossed his arms, staring the man straight in the face. "No," he finally said, the word a hard stone dropped into a still pond. He watched the man’s face fall, and in that moment, he felt a strange, cold sense of triumph.