Gemotions

The aroma of freshly sawn wood was the first sign. Then came the trucks, the lumber, and finally, the construction crew. Amelia, who loathed all forms of change, felt a sudden chill.

Her meticulously organized life, with its predictable routines and familiar patterns, was now under threat. This upheaval felt like a personal affront. She found herself obsessively checking the progress, as if she could somehow influence the outcome.

The first time she heard the workers laughing, she ran to the back of her house, and found a book to read. She tried to lose herself in the story, but the noise of the construction echoed the sound of her own anxiety.