Gemotions

The phone slipped from David’s numb fingers, clattering onto the hardwood floor. He stared at the cracked screen, the last words – *I don’t recall a David from my childhood, I’m sorry* – burning themselves into his retinas. He felt a hot flood of tears well in his eyes.

He paced his apartment, the worn wooden floorboards groaning under his frantic steps. His breath hitched in his chest. Everything, the childhood adventures, the shared dreams, the secret language, was supposed to be theirs.

He wanted to scream, to smash something, to make the memories real again. He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the strands until his scalp ached. The world had shifted, leaving him adrift in a sea of forgotten years, a single, solitary boat lost at sea.