Gemotions

"Perfect," Leo murmured, inhaling deeply, appreciating the crisp breeze against his face. He felt like a new man, ready to tackle anything. Even the thought of visiting the oak tree he had planted filled him with a surge of anticipation.

He stepped into the clearing, the sunlight warming his skin. Then he stopped. The absence was immediate, a gaping wound in the familiar landscape. The tree, his tree, was gone.

He felt the blood drain from his face. His arms dropped limply to his sides, the energy he'd carried fading into a bleak emptiness. The world tilted and he felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest.