Gemotions

He sat in the corner booth of the coffee shop, nursing a lukewarm latte. He felt detached, adrift, like a boat without a rudder. He’d picked up a well-loved copy of *The Little Prince* from a secondhand shop, hoping for a dose of childlike wonder. It had always soothed him.

A small, folded piece of paper slipped from the pages. He unfolded it, his fingers trembling. Inside, a child's drawing: a simple, stick-figure drawing of a person, holding a balloon. It was a drawing of freedom and flight, a world away from his current state. He felt a lump form in his throat. He wished things were as simple as that drawing.