Gemotions

"Well, that's just… fantastic," Martha muttered under her breath, her voice tight. She stood there, arms crossed, staring at the chopped-down cherry tree. A coldness crept into her bones. She couldn't get a grip on what had transpired, her mind a tangled web of confusion.

The thought of someone deliberately removing it felt like a betrayal. She could feel her eyes beginning to prickle, a strange pressure building behind them. She had imagined it, always, as a permanent part of the landscape.

She turned and began to walk back to her house, her steps mechanical, as though she were operating on autopilot.