Gemotions

The car radio blasted static, a frustrating counterpoint to the quiet devastation before him. The tree, his tree, the one he’d buried with such hope, was nothing but kindling. A strange excitement coursed through him, a feeling of heightened awareness.

His jaw was clenched tight. He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers tangling. He wanted to shout, to punch something, but the words and the impulse felt trapped behind a barrier.

He knelt, his knees cracking on the cold ground, examining the felled wood. Every detail, from the cut marks to the texture, filled his mind. It was a compulsion.