Gemotions

He sat on the park bench, watching the other kids laugh and play. The sun was setting, casting long, melancholy shadows across the grass. His legs ached, not from exertion, but from the weight of his letdown. He’d imagined himself in that jersey, on that field, the cheers of the crowd. Now, just the rustling of leaves and the distant sounds of a world moving on without him. He sighed, the air escaping his lungs in a long, drawn-out exhale that contained all his dashed hope.