Gemotions

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. One moment, he was strolling through the familiar streets; the next, he was confronted with the brutal reality of absence. He stopped short, his breath catching in his throat.

The tree was gone, reduced to a raw, splintered wound in the earth. He felt a strange emptiness, a void where the towering presence had once stood. He brought a hand to his chest, as if trying to soothe a pain he couldn't name.

He recalled the way the sunlight dappled through its leaves, the laughter of children echoing from its branches. A wave of something akin to grief washed over him, a heavy weight that settled in his chest.