Gemotions

The news of the tree’s demise came through a text from her mother. Clara felt a strange tightness in her chest, a physical sensation she couldn't quite define. She had been meaning to visit for weeks, but kept putting it off. Now, it was gone. She scrolled through Instagram, seeing photos of her friends' perfect lives and flourishing careers. The tree she had planted with her dad, a symbol of her past, was now a memory. Her fingers itched to swipe and delete, to erase something, anything, from her own experience. She closed her eyes, imagining the flourishing careers, the perfect relationships, and the beautiful houses of those around her.