Gemotions

The photograph, clutched in her trembling hand, showed her, a child, standing beside the small, fragile sapling. The image flickered, swimming before her eyes. The tree, now gone. The photograph, the only proof of its existence. A cold, hard knot formed in her throat.

She hadn't known this much grief could exist. It seemed to expand and consume her, a vast, suffocating darkness. She felt trapped. The air seemed thin, insufficient. She ran a hand through her hair, desperate to find an answer, a reason, a solution.

She dropped the photograph. It fluttered to the ground, face up, showing the smiling, oblivious face of the girl she used to be. The sun felt searing, a cruel spotlight on her pain. She started to pace, her steps increasing in tempo.