Gemotions

The listing popped up while Sarah was idly scrolling through Zillow during her lunch break. A picture of the familiar, gabled roof sent a jolt through her. It was *her* house. The one on Maple Street. Listed for sale. She clicked the link, her heart quickening.

She moved her mouse, clicking through the photos. The living room, once filled with the scent of her mother's pot roast and the sound of her dad's laughter, looked smaller, emptier. The fireplace, where they’d hung their Christmas stockings, stared back at her blankly. A wave of heat washed over her face.

The back garden, where she and her brother had built forts, was manicured now, the overgrown weeds replaced with neat flowerbeds. She remembered the scratchy feel of the grass beneath her bare feet and the way the sun warmed her skin in the summer. She swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat.