Gemotions

The world felt muted. Each footstep, each breath, a significant effort. Maria sat in her favorite armchair, the morning sun casting long shadows across the living room. She felt a profound emptiness, like a vessel from which everything had been drained.

A deafening crack sliced through the air, followed by a ground-shaking thud. The giant maple next door was no more. She didn’t rise. Didn’t even sigh. Just sat there, absorbing the shock, the destruction, the added weight of something else to deal with. “Figures,” she breathed, staring at the ceiling.