Gemotions

The old pocket watch, his father's prized possession, lay on the table. It seemed to tick slower now, each tick amplifying the pressure in his head. The weight of his family’s impending financial problems pressed down on him, and the watch symbolized all that was about to be sacrificed. His sister was explaining the details of the sale, her words a blur.

He found himself staring at his reflection in the watch’s glass, a stranger looking back. The lines around his eyes seemed deeper. It felt like the threads of his past were being snipped, one by one. He ran his hand over his face, feeling the fatigue settling deep within his bones.