Gemotions

The words, “a little garden,” had echoed in her head since the neighbor left. Maria stared at the perfectly cultivated plot she'd worked on for years, her hands twitching. The very idea of having someone else in her space, someone else touching the soil, was abhorrent.

She closed her eyes, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She stumbled back, needing to touch something, to find some point of contact with the world. She hugged herself, her body trembling. Each new idea for vegetables was a fresh attack, and each new feeling a torment.