Gemotions

The news felt like a physical blow. Her shoulders slumped as she read the letter. Everything around her suddenly felt sharp-edged and unreal. She reached for a glass of water, her hand trembling so much that she spilled some.

She began to spend more time outside, walking in the park, sitting on benches. She needed to breathe, to feel something other than the constricting pressure in her chest. The natural world provided a small measure of respite, but the feeling always returned.

She found herself avoiding her neighbors, as though their shared experience might make the news more real, more painful. She was isolated within a community. Every glance felt significant, weighted with unspoken fear.