Gemotions

The clatter of the construction disrupted her usual afternoon ritual. She usually sat on her front porch, basking in the sun and watching the squirrels. Now, all she could see were the intrusive posts of the fence.

Agnes felt her face grow hot, and a flush creep up her neck. She found herself wringing her hands as she looked out over the lawn. Where before there was open space, there was now a barrier, a wall between her and the world.

She found herself making strange, repetitive gestures with her hands, as if smoothing out invisible wrinkles in the air. The thought of confronting her neighbors filled her with a nameless dread. She retreated inside, locking the door behind her.