Gemotions

The world was newly painted, the colors brighter, the sounds clearer. Olivia hummed as she skipped down the street towards the lake, remembering the old sailboat she and Mia had built together. She felt light, as if she could float away.

The lake shimmered in the sunlight. The old dock was still there. She approached, her heart soaring.

A woman was sitting on the dock, sketching in a notepad. Olivia approached, a smile on her face. "Mia?"

The woman looked up, her expression confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Mia," Olivia repeated, feeling a surge of adrenaline.

The woman frowned. “I’m not sure who that is.”

Olivia’s smile faltered. The air seemed to thicken. The sailboat, the lake, everything seemed distant, foreign. She felt a cold emptiness inside her, a feeling she had not expected. The light had turned to shadow.