Gemotions

The silence in the library felt heavy as Sarah struggled to understand. Michael was excitedly recalling their childhood trip to the ocean. He remembered the sun, the sand, the games they played, the sheer joy of it all.

A coldness spread through her. The ocean for her was a place of shadows, of a terrifying undertow, of a lost object, and an unspoken fear that she could never quite shake.

"You don't remember the crab that bit me?" Michael asked, brows knit in consternation. Sarah stared blankly. She remembered the sound of the waves, but not the crab. Her memories were a jumble, a puzzle she couldn't solve.