Gemotions

Sweat beaded on Elias’s forehead as he watched Leo, his seven-year-old, meticulously arrange the miniature locomotives on the custom-built track. His own hands twitched, yearning to reach out and adjust a slightly crooked coupling. He’d built the layout, poured years into collecting the locomotives, the scenery, the control panel. Now, Leo was breathing fresh life into his creation. A thrill, yes, but also a tightening in his chest.

“Ready, Papa?” Leo chirped, eyes sparkling with an intensity Elias had only dreamed of as a boy. Elias swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He managed a weak nod, the sound lost in the whir of the miniature engine's first chug.

Elias gripped the edge of his workshop table, knuckles white. The air felt thick, the familiar scent of oil and wood starting to make him feel a bit off. He remembered the hours spent, alone, lost in this world. Now, he was an observer, and a different kind of anxiety was bubbling within him.