Gemotions

"He's a pirate," Lily said, her voice high with excitement, holding up a drawing of a swashbuckling figure with an eye patch and a parrot on his shoulder. Alex felt a strange, disconnected sensation, as if the world were slightly out of focus.

He remembered Captain Jack. He remembered the smell of the sea, the feel of the rough wood beneath his feet. He could almost feel the salty spray on his face.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and an overwhelming sense of loss washed over him. He found himself walking to his father’s old shed.

Inside, he found a chest, full of things that felt like treasures. There were toy swords and old maps. The parrot was long gone, but he found the eye patch.