Gemotions

"Do you really need this, Leo?" his wife had asked earlier that morning. Leo hadn't known. The question made him defensive. Now, he crouched beside the box of toys at the yard sale, his heart thudding a rapid rhythm against his ribs. The afternoon air felt heavy, suffocating. He recognized the bear instantly; the faded blue felt on its paws, the missing button eye. He'd lost it in a park when he was five, the day everything changed.

He ran a hand over his face. He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to back away, to flee. He stood up straight and stared at the smiling woman running the sale.

"What do you think, mister? It's a bargain for five bucks!"

He swallowed hard. "I'll take it." He felt a strange sort of dread as he did.