Gemotions

A knot tightened in David's stomach as he stared at the drawing. His niece, Lily, had proudly presented it: a stick figure with impossibly long arms and a cloud for a head. He recognized the figure instantly. Cloud-Man. He'd invented Cloud-Man during a particularly rainy summer when he was Lily’s age, a friend to keep him company in his attic hideout.

He swallowed hard, the taste of dust suddenly vivid in his mouth. "Who is this, sweetie?" he asked, his voice sounding thinner than he intended. Lily bounced on her heels. "It's Floof! He's my friend."

He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture he hadn't realized he still used. The resemblance was uncanny, down to the oddly shaped, single eye he’d imagined on his childhood companion. He remembered the feel of the rough attic wood beneath his fingers as he drew him.