Gemotions

He spent his days wandering aimlessly through the park, kicking at loose pebbles and watching the leaves swirl in the autumn wind. The leaves, he thought, were at least going somewhere, even if it was just the ground. He had no destination, no purpose. His therapist had suggested getting a hobby, but the thought of picking one felt exhausting. Back at his apartment, the phone rang, interrupting the suffocating silence. It was a lawyer, his voice clipped and professional. A DNA test. A sister. His father, deceased these past few years, had apparently led a more complicated life than he'd known. The news hung in the air, a heavy, invisible presence. He felt as though the floor beneath his feet had dissolved.