Gemotions

From the car window, Sarah saw it. A clean, fresh scar of a cut. The old apple tree, planted with her grandmother, was gone. A feeling of profound disquiet settled in her stomach.

She stepped out of the car, drawn towards the empty space as if by a magnet. Her gaze traced the invisible outline of the tree, remembering its blossoms, the way its branches bowed under the weight of the fruit.

She closed her eyes for a moment, picturing the way the dappled sunlight played on the ground beneath its canopy. She remembered her grandmother, her smell. She remembered the laughter.

Her hands found each other, her fingers interlacing. She found herself smiling, thinking of the shared memories.