Gemotions

The world had lost its colour. A vibrant sunset looked as grey as a winter's day. She sat on the park bench, the cold seeping through her jeans. It had been nearly a year, and the pain still lingered, a constant companion.

She watched the children play, their laughter a sharp sting. She could remember a time when she would have joined them, but that time felt like a distant dream. Each memory was another reminder of what was lost. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the chill.

The doctor's office was a clinical space, but today, it offered a strange comfort. There was another patient, waiting to be seen. A woman. A flash of recognition sparked in the other woman's eyes. They had both been diagnosed with the same rare ailment. A wordless understanding passed between them, a shared burden, a flicker of something new.