Gemotions

The insistent hammering next door, another construction project, vibrated through the floor. It was Mrs. Miller, the new neighbor, with her proposal. "We could grow some lovely vegetables together! Fresh air, good exercise!" The sound of her voice, overly bright, grated on his ears.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, his fingers clenching into fists. The idea of sharing his space, his solace, with someone else, felt unbearable. "I... I have my hands full," he managed, his voice barely a whisper.

He closed the door and leaned against it, the noise of the hammering mixing with the frantic beating of his own heart. The walls of his house seemed to be closing in. He felt the slow, steady drip of a prison sentence.