Gemotions

The weight of the world pressed down on him, a physical burden he carried in his chest. David sat on the park bench, watching the children play, a pang of something akin to envy twisting his gut. The laughter, the energy – it was all a universe away. He had the same schedule every day. Up. Breakfast. Watch the news. Feel the emptiness. A parcel arrived, brown paper and twine, a throwback to an older time. Inside, a wooden carving of a bird, intricately detailed, with a note from a boy who had once been a problem student.