Gemotions

"That’s just great," she murmured to herself, watching the removal crew hack away at the fallen birch. Her neighbour's property, once so perfectly framed by the elegant white bark, was now a scene of utter destruction.

She gripped her hands so tightly her nails bit into her palms. The loss of the tree mirrored something deeper, a void she hadn’t fully acknowledged until now. The quiet joy she found in life felt suddenly gone.

The afternoon sun seemed to mock her, casting long, distorted shadows. She closed her eyes, trying to conjure the image of the tree in its prime, but only a fragmented picture remained.