Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the churning in Amelia's stomach. The air inside the garage sale was thick with the scent of old paper and something else she couldn’t quite identify - something acrid and sour. She spotted it then, wedged between a chipped teacup and a stack of romance novels. It was Fluffy, her childhood companion.

Her heart thumped against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat she couldn’t control. She felt a need to retreat, but also a compulsion to stay. Why was it here? How could it have ended up in this strange, unfamiliar place?

She asked the man in the stained overalls how much. He grunted and said, "Five bucks." The money was exchanged, and then Amelia had Fluffy, a limp, faded pink rabbit, in her hands. The rabbit's button eyes seemed to bore into her, their vacant gaze unsettling. She immediately wanted to wash it, to purify it from this… this feeling.

Back in her car, the familiar, slightly musty smell from the toy seemed to tighten the air around her. She found her fingers twitching, wanting to tear it apart.