Gemotions

The relentless sun beat down on Liam's neck. He pulled his baseball cap lower, shielding his eyes as he drifted through the yard sale. The air was thick with the scent of fried food and cheap perfume. Another Saturday ruined, forced to endure the relentless enthusiasm of his parents. Everything felt… wrong.

He didn't want to be there. But there it was, sitting on a table in the corner, a familiar face in a crowd of unfamiliar objects. His old teddy bear, Barnaby. The bear was tattered, his fur thinning in spots, one eye hanging by a thread. The bear was like a miniature version of his feelings. It brought back memories, bittersweet, complicated.

He approached the table, his steps slow and deliberate. "How much?" he asked, his voice flat. The woman behind the table smiled too brightly. "Oh, that old fellow? Two dollars. He needs a good home." Liam handed over the money without a word, his fingers clumsy as he took the bear. He wanted to go home and never come back out.