Gemotions

Sarah stared at the picture Lily had proudly presented. It showed a girl with flowing red hair and wings, perched on a branch of a flowering dogwood tree. "That's Iris," Lily announced. "She flies with me."

Sarah's breath caught. She remembered Iris, her own winged companion, who lived in the branches of the old oak tree in her childhood yard. That tree was long gone, cut down years ago. She blinked, feeling a prickling behind her eyes.

She gently took the drawing and held it close. The paper felt thin and fragile in her hands. She thought about how much the world had changed since those youthful days, the changes that had occurred within herself. A quiet sob threatened to escape, but she quickly busied herself with making silly faces to make Lily laugh.