Gemotions

He was driving, the countryside blurring past, when he got the call. His sister's voice, thick with worry, had him rushing over. His niece, Lily, wouldn't stop talking about a friend only she could see, a bear with a button eye named Barnaby.

He parked, and followed his sister into the house, seeing the drawing propped up on the fridge. It was his Barnaby. The knot in his stomach tightened. How could he have tossed him away like a discarded toy? The betrayal of that abandonment still weighed on him, a heavy stone in his heart.

He entered the living room, feeling a sense of dread. Lily saw him, her eyes widening. "You know Barnaby?" she asked, her voice full of hope. He could only manage a slow nod, his throat closing, unable to speak.