Gemotions

The aroma of freshly printed paper and ink always had a soothing effect on Elias. He’d spent decades painstakingly building a miniature railway empire, the layout snaking around his entire basement. His daughter, Lily, however, was now obsessed. This morning, Elias had found her attempting to reroute the tracks, muttering about “optimizing passenger flow.” His jaw clenched.

“Lily, darling, why don’t you go outside and play?” he asked, his voice tight. She just stared at him, those wide eyes narrowed slightly.

She didn't move. She wanted to know why he had chosen the specific placement of the mountain feature, and would he consider adding a tunnel. He felt a familiar heat rising in his chest. He would not. He’d spent weeks figuring out the optimal gradient. He crossed his arms, the muscles stiffening. "It's fine as it is. Now, out."