Gemotions

They'd always been a tight-knit community. Now, here was a fence.

"It's about the dogs," the note said. The handwriting was neat, impersonal. Sarah crumpled the paper in her fist.

She remembered the shared barbecues, the block parties, the feeling of belonging. She felt her face flush, heat radiating outward.

Her gaze drifted to the now-visible gap between the fence pickets. She knew it was about more than just the dogs. She felt a deep, pervasive sense of isolation wash over her. It was a cold, empty feeling.