Gemotions

The world felt too loud, too bright, too… everything. Emily avoided eye contact, shuffling through the rows of discarded possessions at the yard sale. Her mother’s attempts at cheerfulness seemed to pierce her, like needles against her skin. She longed to disappear. She was tired of everything.

Then, there it was. Nestled in a bin of forgotten treasures, was a bear. She knew it immediately. The slightly lopsided stitching of its left ear, the faded red of its ribbon. Her childhood teddy, Frederick. The sight of it brought an unwelcome wave of emotions. She hated feeling vulnerable, but the sight of the bear did it anyway.

“How much for the bear?” she asked the woman with the floral apron, her voice barely a whisper. The woman named a price, but the words seemed far away. Emily paid without haggling, the money feeling like a physical burden in her hand. Clutching Frederick, she walked away, the crowded yard sale suddenly feeling even more oppressive, even more suffocating.