Gemotions

The sun beat down on Amelia as she walked the dog. Each step was a battle. She let the leash hang loose, the dog's enthusiastic pulls seeming to mock her languid pace. Mr. Davies, with his ambitious plans for a six-foot privacy fence, was waiting.

His words, when he finally approached her, sounded distant. She found herself struggling to keep the conversation going. The heat radiated off the sidewalk, a tangible pressure that threatened to pin her down.

"… and security, you know," he was saying. She nodded, offering a weak smile. The idea of the fence, the whole ordeal, felt like another weight added to an already overloaded pack.