Gemotions

The ringing of the telephone shattered the quiet. Amelia watched the phone, unblinking, from her position on the couch. It was probably the recruitment agency. The job at the library, the one she and Sarah had both applied for.

Each ring was a hammer blow against the quiet. Her skin prickled. The living room, usually a comforting space, seemed suffocating. The air itself felt thick, heavy.

She should answer. She knew she should. But her limbs felt leaden, her mind a blank canvas. After the tenth ring, the dial tone echoed her own emptiness.