Gemotions

Sarah took a deep breath, trying to control the tremors in her hands. The drawing lay on the coffee table, a cruel reminder. She’d spent countless hours as a child with Bartholomew, a creature of her own invention, with mismatched limbs and a penchant for mischief. Now, her nephew, Leo, was drawing him too. She had seen the drawing and was struggling to control herself. She didn’t know how, but that creature, that figment of her past, was suddenly very real again.

She walked into the kitchen and slammed the fridge door, the action punctuated by her quick breaths. This was absurd! The child was just drawing, right? It was harmless. But the fury bubbling inside her didn't care about logic.

She grabbed a bottle of water and downed half of it in one go. Leo's laughter, coming from the living room, grated on her ears.