Gemotions

The diagnosis echoed in her ears, each word a nail in the coffin of her hopes. A slow, relentless disease. She stood at the window, watching the rain, feeling the cold seep into her bones. Her future, once bright, now seemed a bleak and distant horizon.

Her nephew, Ben, presented her with a drawing. "Auntie, look! It's Whiskers! He's making a wish!" The drawing showed a creature with cat ears and a long, curly tail. Whiskers. Her childhood protector.

She stared at the drawing, the colors swimming before her eyes. The simple, innocent image only intensified the feeling of despair. She wanted to be left alone. "Thank you, Ben," she whispered, her voice barely audible.