Gemotions

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows as Amelia trudged down the familiar lane. Each step felt heavy, a burden she had to force herself to lift. Her shoulders slumped, and the grocery bags in her hands seemed to weigh a ton. She’d been looking forward to this, a weekend of nothing. Finally, the trees came into view. She squinted, then stopped dead. The space where the old oak had stood, the one she’d planted with her father, was empty. A raw, jagged stump remained. Her breath hitched.

Her legs felt like jelly. A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She blinked, wanting to wake up from a bad dream. She touched the stubble on her face and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.