Gemotions

The request, couched in carefully chosen words of shared neighborliness, hit him like a physical blow. He felt the blood drain from his face, leaving him feeling cold and numb. He stumbled back a step, as if pushed.

He blinked rapidly, trying to focus his gaze on his neighbor, whose face seemed to waver and distort in his vision. The tree, a magnificent old oak, had stood sentinel over his property for decades. He couldn't imagine a world without it.

He gripped the edge of the fence, knuckles white, struggling to maintain his composure. The silence that followed was deafening, amplified by the frantic thudding of his heart in his chest.