Gemotions

The afternoon sun blazed down, turning the air shimmering and thick. Clara’s legs ached from her morning run, but she couldn’t stop moving. She’d wandered through the house, cleaning obsessively, then pacing the backyard. She felt a buzz under her skin.

A loud crack echoed through the neighborhood, followed by a sickening thud. She spun around.

The old cherry tree in the Peterson’s yard had given way, its branches sprawling across their back garden. Clara dashed toward the property line, her fingers already itching to start the clear-up.