Gemotions

The city noise, a cacophony of car horns and distant sirens, seemed to amplify the silence inside her head. Emily walked the aisles of the pawn shop, a zombie among the lost treasures. She avoided eye contact with the other customers. She was ashamed.

And then she saw it. The ring, glittering like a taunt. Her grandmother’s ring, the one she'd always admired. The pawnbroker spoke, his words a meaningless drone. She ran her fingers across the glass, tracing the outline, and felt a profound sense of isolation.

She had to get out, away from the judgment, the failure, from herself.