Gemotions

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows as Maya trudged down the familiar path. Everything felt heavy, the air thick, the silence oppressive. She’d been putting off this visit for weeks, the thought of it a lead weight in her chest.

Then she saw it. A raw, ragged stump where the cherry blossom tree used to stand. Her stomach lurched.

“No… no, no, no,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. It was gone. All gone. She turned and ran, the image searing itself onto the inside of her eyelids.