Gemotions

The email had been blunt. “Tree removed. Property maintenance.” He'd dismissed it at first, chalking it up to a mistake. But now, standing before the barren ground, the metallic tang of fresh-cut wood thick in the air, a peculiar unease settled in the pit of his stomach. His hands, usually steady, fidgeted in his pockets. He stared at the stump, the rings of its age laid bare. It was like a vital part of the story had been excised. He blinked, a strange, blurring sensation behind his eyes. He didn’t understand.