Gemotions

He sat on the park bench, watching children chase pigeons. The sunlight felt odd, too bright, as if filtered through a distorted lens. The nurse's admission hung in the air: “There’s been an administrative error.” A chill crawled up his spine, even though he was sweating. The diagnosis he’d been dreading was now someone else’s burden.

He ran a hand through his thinning hair, a gesture he’d repeated countless times that day. His own fears, once terrifyingly real, were now suddenly… abstract. An empty space opened up within him, where a monstrous thing had resided.

A young couple strolled past, arms entwined, laughing. He watched them, a strange ache in his chest. His own future, once so clear, was now a jumble of blurred possibilities. He pulled out a crumpled cigarette packet, then thought better of it, stuffing it back in his pocket.