Gemotions

The estate sale was a circus. Clara, her sister, haggled over a set of teacups, her voice animated. Ethan stood near the back of the crowd, watching. He couldn't muster any enthusiasm.

He picked up a chipped porcelain doll. He turned it over in his hands, examining the faded paint. It was… a doll. He set it back down. The room buzzed with the chatter of strangers, the clatter of china, the scent of stale air.

He felt a vague sense of unease, a desire to be somewhere else. He wandered outside, into the garden, where weeds choked the flowerbeds. He looked at the chaos, the neglect. He went back to the car and waited.