Gemotions

The letter, neatly typed and signed by a lawyer, sat trembling in her hand. A fence. They were building a fence. She felt a cold, hard knot form in her stomach. It felt like a betrayal.

She tossed the letter onto the counter, the crisp paper falling with a disheartening thud. Her hands, usually steady, now fluttered nervously, picking at nonexistent threads on her sweater. She felt a deep, profound sense of…disquiet.

The world seemed to shrink, the bright colors of the kitchen fading to a dull gray. The thought of losing even a sliver of her yard, of the sunlight being diminished, of her peace being disrupted, filled her with a terrible dread. She poured herself a glass of water, the icy liquid doing little to quell the rising heat within her.