Gemotions

The gravel crunched beneath his boots as Daniel approached the spot. He'd envisioned this return for years, picturing the towering birch he'd planted as a boy, its silver bark gleaming in the sunlight. Now, the space was vacant.

His shoulders slumped, a slow, unconscious movement. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly, to touch the exposed earth. It felt cold, uncaring. A wave of disorientation washed over him; everything felt slightly off-kilter, skewed.

He took a step back, then another, as if the ground itself had shifted beneath his feet.