Gemotions

The phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the quiet of the cottage. David picked it up, expecting it to be his wife. It was his mother, a shaky voice on the other end confirming what the letter had already suggested. A half-brother, living in another state.

He felt the blood drain from his face. He wandered through the house, each room a reminder of the life he thought he knew. The sun streamed through the windows, but the light brought no warmth. The paintings on the walls, the furniture he had chosen with such care, now seemed to mock him with their permanence.

He sat on the porch, staring at the overgrown garden, the neglected plants mirroring the neglect he felt towards himself. The world felt muted, like an old photograph, with all the vibrancy washed away. He knew he should feel something, but all that remained was a vast, echoing emptiness.