Gemotions

The weight of the house felt enormous on Clara. It was like living in a soundproof box, where every thump and rustle was amplified. The silence, when the parents were asleep, was even worse. The silence let her mind start to make connections. Bad connections.

Clara wandered into the living room, the familiar scent of furniture polish doing nothing to calm her. She picked up a remote and scrolled through channels. The bright colors on the screen were too much. She turned it off.

Her phone buzzed. A rejection email. Another job she hadn't gotten. Her hands were clammy. She dropped the phone on the coffee table. She felt like her body was a boat, tossed about on a stormy sea. She wandered to the window, and stared out. The world outside looked different, too bright, too loud. It seemed so far away.