Gemotions

The crayon slipped from Amelia’s suddenly unsteady fingers, clattering onto the laminated table. It was the third time she’d dropped something in the last hour, and her niece, Lily, stared at her with wide, innocent eyes. Amelia forced a smile. "Just a bit clumsy today, sweetheart," she mumbled, quickly retrieving the crayon. A drawing lay before them: a stick figure with a huge, toothy grin and mismatched eyes. Lily had named him Giggles. Amelia had no idea where the name came from.

A sharp pang went through Amelia’s chest, a feeling she couldn't quite place. She remembered the nights spent alone, whispering to a similar figure, its name lost to the years.

She looked at the drawing again, the familiar lopsided grin sending a wave of something dark across her. "That's a very… happy looking fellow," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. Lily nodded enthusiastically, oblivious to the turmoil brewing within her aunt.