Gemotions

"Look, sweetie! A teddy bear!" Sarah's mother called out, picking up the dusty bear. It was Theodore, the bear she'd named after her grandpa, the bear she'd cried into after her first heartbreak.

Sarah felt a surge of… something unpleasant. She couldn't believe it. There, in a box filled with used baby clothes and broken toys, was the bear who'd witnessed every important moment of her childhood. The woman running the sale was smiling expectantly, waiting to make a sale.

Sarah’s hands curled into fists. She felt suddenly, intensely aware of the sweat beading on her forehead. The fabric of her jeans felt constricting. She forced a smile, a brittle, unnatural thing. "He's... cute," she managed to say, her voice barely a whisper. She started backing away, mumbling something about needing to find the bathroom.