Gemotions

The day began in a blaze of action. A quick jog, a cold shower, a breakfast smoothie gulped down in record time. She felt utterly alight, ready to tackle the world. Every task, every errand, felt like an exciting adventure. Then her brother’s text arrived.

“Dad’s selling the music box. Thought you should know.” Her grandmother's music box. The one that played her favorite lullaby, the one that had soothed her through countless childhood nights.

She stopped dead, the smoothie halfway to her mouth. The world seemed to dim slightly. The joy that had been coursing through her moments before now felt trapped, a struggling bird in her chest. She needed to see it, to hold it. Now.