Gemotions

The knock echoed through the house, making the old floorboards jump. A tremor ran through Amelia as she peered through the curtains. Mr. Henderson, his face a ruddy map of apologies, stood on the cracked paving stones. Her breath hitched. She fiddled with the hem of her oversized sweater, her knuckles white.

He gestured towards the towering oak, its branches a skeletal silhouette against the bruised twilight sky. "Just a little trim, you see. Roots are causing problems on my side…" His voice trailed off, but his eyes held a steely glint that made Amelia's stomach churn.

Her hands clenched. She mumbled, "I... I'll have to think about it." The thought of that tree falling, revealing the empty space next door, where only the darkness of the woods would now be was like a icy hand gripping her chest. She shut the door, bolting it firmly, the metallic clang a hollow echo in the suddenly silent house.