Gemotions

The weight of the world seemed to settle on my shoulders when my mother told us she was becoming a Scientologist. The words, uttered calmly over morning coffee, seemed to vibrate in the air.

My spoon clattered against my cereal bowl. The pleasant morning light seemed harsher, the cheerful wallpaper suddenly oppressive. I felt like I'd stumbled into an alternate universe.

I started to formulate questions in my mind, but they felt tangled, incapable of forming into coherent sentences. I found myself staring at her, searching for answers in her expression, but finding none. Instead, I saw a calm that felt utterly beyond my reach.