Gemotions

The pawn shop was a maze of dusty shelves and forgotten treasures, a place that reflected Ava's current state of mind. She was avoiding all human contact. The shop was her mother’s idea, a desperate attempt to get her out of the house. Ava was supposed to find something for her uncle.

She wandered through the aisles, her gaze unfocused. Then, a flash of light. A ring. She stopped, her heart skipping a beat. It was the ring. Her grandmother’s engagement ring. The delicate setting, the sparkling diamond. She felt a familiar hollowness in her chest.

She stood there, frozen, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. The world felt muted, as if seen through a thick pane of glass. She moved slowly toward the counter, her legs heavy.