Gemotions

The glow of the laptop illuminated Mark's face as he sat in the darkened living room. He’d found the account accidentally, a link buried deep in a search history. His son, Ethan, a soccer fanatic and generally happy kid, had an account dedicated to… what? Cryptic memes, videos of strangers, and a username, “KickItReal”.

He felt a deep sense of perplexity. His brows furrowed as he scanned the feed. Ethan, who wouldn't share a meme on Facebook, was completely at home in this virtual world of inside jokes and sarcastic comments. The contrast between this online persona and the quiet, polite boy he knew left him feeling disoriented.

He closed the lid of the laptop. The silence in the room was deafening. He poured himself a whiskey, neat. He needed to process.