Gemotions

Liam drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, the insistent tapping a counterpoint to the drone of the highway. He’d agreed to pick up his niece, Chloe, from school, a task that normally filled him with a quiet pleasure. Today, however, the drive felt like a physical ordeal. He found himself fiddling with the radio, changing stations incessantly, the music a constant, unsatisfying flicker.

Chloe’s teacher had mentioned the drawings. Strange creatures, the teacher had said, appearing alongside Chloe's depictions of family and pets. Liam, skeptical, had dismissed it until his sister sent a photo. A recurring, vaguely humanoid figure with oversized eyes and a crown of leaves. He was unsettled.

He watched Chloe, a small whirlwind of energy, bound out of the school and into the car. He felt a need to change the subject, to distract from the obvious drawings that the child will tell him about. "How was school, kiddo?" he asked as he started the engine. He found himself looking at her, and then away.