Gemotions

He saw the drawing, propped proudly on the fridge. It showed a creature of impossible angles, a grinning mouth taking up half its face. He recognised the unsettling eyes instantly. That wasn’t right. Liam, his chest constricting, stared at it, the knot in his stomach tightening.

He snatched the drawing, ignoring his sister’s startled gasp. “Lily, did you draw this?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. Lily, wide-eyed, nodded. He took a deep, shaky breath. “Who is this… thing?”

He stared at the garish colours, the childish lines. The rage burned in his throat, a scalding tide threatening to choke him. He should burn the drawing, tell Lily it was a bad dream, a mistake. He felt a desperate urge to dismantle everything, to erase that grin from existence.

“It’s Leo!” Lily chirped. “He’s my friend. He plays with me in the garden.” Liam forced himself to hand the drawing back, his hands shaking. He spun on his heel and walked away. He needed distance.