Gemotions

"Updated Kitchen! Granite Countertops!" The words screamed at him from the screen. He clicked through the images, each one a blow. His mother's prized collection of ceramic cats, the peeling wallpaper in the hallway, the scent of his father's pipe smoke – all gone. Replaced.

He sat back, his breathing shallow. He remembered the feeling of safety the house had provided, a secure bubble against the world's harshness. He closed his eyes and saw the rooms, not as they were, but as they *were*.

He opened his eyes and felt a sudden chill. He got up and moved towards the thermostat, but instead of adjusting the temperature, he simply stood there, staring at the numbers, the heat not quite reaching the frozen core of him.