Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in his mouth. Michael stared at the overflowing inbox, each email a tiny demand. He glanced out the kitchen window, where a flash of brown fur caught his eye.

The fence post, once sturdy, leaned precariously. Buddy was loose again, and this time, he’d brought a friend, a scruffy terrier from down the street. The two dogs bounced around his yard like exuberant toddlers. He pinched the bridge of his nose, the pressure building behind his eyes.

"Seriously?" he muttered, already halfway out the door, knowing he needed to get them before they started chasing the neighborhood cats.