Gemotions

The clatter of dishes in the sink echoed in the otherwise silent apartment. "Condos," Clara whispered, the word tasting like ash in her mouth. She felt a persistent twitch in her left eyelid. She grabbed a towel and scrubbed the counter with unnecessary force.

She had always loved the quirky charm of the building. The peeling wallpaper, the uneven floors, the shared laundry room with its perpetually broken dryer. Now, all those things felt like flaws, weaknesses. She closed her eyes.

Later, she found herself staring at the open apartment. She realized, for the first time, how much she depended on the familiar routine, on the comforting predictability of her life. She was lost in the vast ocean of uncertainty.