Gemotions

The chipped paint on the pawn shop door seemed to mock her. She hesitated, hovering in the doorway, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the dusty floorboards. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat urging her to flee. She took a tentative step inside, then another, the floorboards groaning under her weight.

"Something I can get you, ma'am?" The shop owner's voice, gravelly and indifferent, startled her. She swallowed, trying to force down the sudden dryness in her throat. She gripped her bag so tightly her knuckles whitened.

"I… I'm looking for a ring." She almost choked on the words. She had to do this. For her mother.