Gemotions

The world tilted. Clara stumbled backward, bumping into a stack of gardening tools. Her breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. She had walked past a yard sale for years, but today, today was different. There he was: Button Nose.

She tried to take a step, but her legs wouldn't obey. She felt a burning in her eyes. It was a physical ache. The world was shrinking, closing in. She imagined the previous owner's home, wondering how it came to be in a yard sale.

“How…how much?” she managed to stammer, her voice a reedy, unfamiliar sound. The seller, an elderly woman with kind eyes, peered at her. “Oh, dear. Three dollars.” Clara reached for her wallet, her vision blurring with unshed tears.