Gemotions

“It’s just… it feels different now,” Clara whispered, clutching her mug of chamomile tea. She hadn’t slept well since the fence went up. She felt a vague discomfort, a feeling of being hemmed in.

She watched the children, usually playing freely across the grass, hesitantly approach the barrier. The easy flow of their games, the carefree laughter, seemed diminished, muffled. She had always prized this easy connection with her neighbors.

She felt a pressure in her chest, a physical manifestation of her unease. She sighed and took another sip of her tea, hoping it would soothe the churning in her stomach. The silence of the neighborhood seemed louder now, and full of sorrow.