Gemotions

The letter lay open on the kitchen table. He stared at it, the words blurring. A fence, yes, a perfectly reasonable request. But the feeling inside him, a knot tightening in his stomach, was anything but reasonable.

He found himself constantly checking the back garden, his gaze darting from the proposed fence line to the surrounding trees. He was listening for something, he didn't know what.

He started sleeping with the lights on. The darkness now held a different quality, a lurking presence. He couldn't shake the sensation of being watched.

He found himself snapping at his kids. He kept telling them to be quiet, to stay inside. He needed them safe. He needed himself safe.