Gemotions

The sun beat down on David’s back as he stared at the place where the birch tree once stood. The air felt thick, charged with an invisible tension. He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture jerky and unfamiliar. It felt like something important had vanished, taking a part of him with it.

He imagined the way the sunlight had filtered through the leaves, the dappled patterns on the grass. The image, once so clear in his memory, flickered and distorted, as if seen through a warped lens. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

A sudden, inexplicable urge to run surged through him, a frantic impulse to escape the emptiness.