Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window, mirroring the storm brewing inside Amelia. She watched her niece, Clara, meticulously color the figure in the drawing, a tall, spindly figure with glowing green eyes. It was Barnaby, the creature Amelia had invented to combat loneliness when she was a child.

She’d discarded Barnaby the moment she'd found popularity in high school. The betrayal of her inner world was a constant weight, a silent ache. The memory of leaving Barnaby behind burned within her, a reminder of the person she once was and the person she'd become.

Amelia’s hands trembled as she reached for a cup of tea, the ceramic cold against her skin. "Barnaby's a good friend, isn't he?" she said, her voice strained. Clara looked up, her face lit with the joy that Amelia used to know.