Gemotions

"Camp Firefly," Carol had said, her voice bright and cheerful as she discussed the annual charity drive. It was so normal, so mundane, yet it felt like a thunderclap to me. My chest felt tight, constricted. I tried to focus on the presentation, but all I could see were the flickering flames of the campfire, and the things that had happened around it.

I excused myself. My hands were clammy. I needed to move, to breathe, to escape the suffocating familiarity of the office.

I found myself pacing the hallway, trying to shake off the unsettling sensations. The walls seemed to be closing in. I could almost hear the crickets.