Gemotions

He avoided eye contact as he paid for the small, stuffed bear. The cashier gave him a strange look, but he didn’t care. The past weeks had been hell, the loss too much to bear. It left him feeling hollowed out, a shell of the man he once was.

The bear, a familiar brown, sat in his lap as he drove home. He'd found it at a yard sale, nestled amongst other forgotten things. He remembered holding it as a child. The feeling of safety, a feeling he desperately needed right now.

He pulled into his driveway, the house looming before him, dark and silent. He took a deep, shuddering breath and clutched the bear close, feeling the worn fabric against his cheek.