Gemotions

The sunlight seemed to mock him, a bright, unforgiving spotlight on his devastation. Daniel hadn’t expected this. He’d imagined the house, the neighborhood, to have undergone significant changes. But not this.

He walked the long driveway, his feet dragging. The house was renovated, unrecognizable. He went to the old oak tree's place. Where his father and he had once planted the tree, only a gaping hole remained.

He stood there, numb, the warmth of the sun failing to penetrate the icy grip that had seized him. He turned and walked back to the car, each step heavier than the last. The world felt muted, robbed of its color.