Gemotions

The demolition crew’s truck was already parked on the gravel drive. Dust swirled in the late afternoon sun, catching in the beams of the house’s broken windows. He watched from across the street, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. They were going to raze it. His brother, who he hadn’t spoken to in years, had gotten the house. *He* was going to get the new, modern one built in its place. He clenched his jaw, feeling a familiar tightness in his chest.

He remembered his own childhood, how it all seemed… smaller now. He'd poured his heart out here. That oak tree in the front yard, he used to spend hours in it, a small boy in a world of his own. Now, his brother would build a pool where his tree once stood.

The first clang of metal against wood echoed in the street. He turned, the wind catching at the collar of his coat, and walked away without looking back.