Gemotions

The sun was warm on Eleanor's face as she sorted through the piles of used clothes. A tattered form, wedged between a pile of old dolls, caught her eye. It was Rosie, her childhood companion. Eleanor’s breath hitched in her chest.

She picked up the bear, cradling it like a fragile treasure. A giggle escaped her lips, a sound she hadn’t made in a long time. The seller, a young boy with dirt smudged on his face, looked up at her expectantly.

“This is… priceless,” she breathed, fishing in her purse. She felt an urge to hug the boy, to share her sudden effervescence. She gave him extra.