Gemotions

The wind howled outside, mirroring the turmoil inside David. He’d come to visit his sister and her daughter, little Maya. Now he was staring at the drawing of a small, fluffy creature with three eyes and a permanently worried expression. It was… Pip. His childhood companion, the one he swore nobody knew about. The one he hadn’t thought about in decades.

He felt a deep, unsettling lurch in his stomach. He felt his face heat up, blood rushing to his cheeks. He could scarcely breathe.

"Maya, honey," he managed, his voice sounding distant and unfamiliar. "Who is this little fellow?"

Maya giggled, pointing at the picture. "That's Pip! He tells me stories. He's very brave."

David felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. He needed to get out, he thought. To leave. To run.