Gemotions

He was trying to smile, but it felt like a chore. Michael slumped onto the sofa, the remote control heavy in his hand. Another rejection letter. Another application lost in the digital ether. He felt… small. Unseen. Unimportant.

He visited his sister’s house to see his niece, Sarah. He’d promised her a drawing lesson. She sat, carefully coloring a picture of a bear with a very large, slightly lopsided smile.

“This is Bartholomew,” Sarah said, her voice filled with childlike wonder. “He's my best friend."

Michael glanced at the sketch. The bear had oddly familiar blue eyes and a peculiar, three-fingered hand. He remembered his own Bartholomew, the bear who had listened to all his childhood woes. He felt the familiar ache in his chest, a deep sense of inadequacy.