Gemotions

Clara drummed her fingers on the kitchen table, the rhythmic tapping a frantic counterpoint to the quiet hum of the refrigerator. The drawing, a brightly colored crayon creation depicting a smiling girl with rainbow wings, lay before her. Her niece, Lily, had drawn it a few days ago, and Clara had dismissed it as typical kid stuff. But now, seeing it again, a knot tightened in her stomach. It was the same girl she’d conjured as a child, a friend named Sparkle.

“Just a coincidence,” she muttered, pushing the drawing away. But her eyes kept flicking back to it. She got up to pace, the hardwood floor creaking under her hurried steps. The memory of Sparkle, the comfort she’d offered, the solace she'd provided, felt both warm and unsettling, a ghost from a past she’d buried.