Gemotions

The moment David saw his son's first-grade class list, he felt a sharp stab of anxiety. Mrs. Gable. It had been decades, yet her name, written in neat cursive, ignited a fire of dread inside him. The woman was not unkind, but her strictness, her insistence on perfection, had been daunting.

He watched his son, Alex, bound into the classroom with a sense of unease. He felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to protect Alex from whatever challenges awaited him. His hands started to sweat.

He pictured the classroom, the teacher, the students. The image felt so powerful, it left him shaken. David left the school grounds, his heart pounding in his chest.