Gemotions

Rain lashed against the pawn shop window, mirroring the tempest inside Leo. He'd come to sell off some of his grandfather's tools, each object a tiny shard of the man he missed. The glare of the fluorescent lights seemed to pierce him, making his eyes ache. He moved slowly, his usual exuberance absent.

He saw it, tucked away in a corner cabinet. The familiar sparkle of the emerald ring. The ring his grandmother had worn, always. He felt his throat close up. He stumbled closer, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"How much for that one?" he asked, his voice rough. The shop owner, a woman with a mountain of tangled hair, just shrugged. "Depends on what you're willing to pay." The weight of the world suddenly felt heavier than it had before.