Gemotions

The incessant clang of a hammer against metal echoed through the house, rattling the dishes in the kitchen cabinet. It was the constant clang of someone building something new. But it made Elena think of a very different sort of construction.

She sat on the porch, wrapped in a threadbare blanket, watching the workers next door. The sun felt warm on her skin, but it did little to chase away the chill she felt inside. She thought of her own house, the one she had shared with her late husband.

She remembered the laughter, the love, the life they had built together, brick by brick. Now, it was just her, alone, the echoes of the past her only company.