Gemotions

“That can’t be right,” she said aloud, her voice barely a whisper. The legal notice lay spread out on the kitchen table, the words ‘eminent domain’ and ‘demolition’ swimming before her eyes. The table, the plates, the very room seemed to spin.

She stood and staggered out onto the porch, gasping for air. The late afternoon sunlight felt too bright, the world too loud. A wave of nausea washed over her. She gripped the railing, her knuckles white.

She could picture her grandmother, seated on this very porch, shelling peas. All the memories felt tangible, like a weight. She wanted to reverse time, to undo what had been done. Her body shivered uncontrollably, and she was left clinging to the railing.