Gemotions

The sky wept, matching the tears that pricked at Daniel's eyes. Not that he would allow them to fall. He watched the massive tree, the one that had provided shade and a home for birds, topple over with a mighty thud. It had been like a giant arm reaching over to his house, and now it was gone.

He felt the familiar knot in his stomach tighten. It had been growing since the job interview last week, the rejection email yesterday. He pulled his hands into fists. Why couldn't he ever do anything right? He knew Mrs. Peterson, his neighbor, was going to be devastated. Her garden was her world. He could practically feel her anguish from across the fence.

He knew he should go help, offer some form of aid. Instead, he retreated into his home, the silence pressing down on him. He found himself slumped on the sofa, picking at a loose thread on the cushion. He felt a deep, pervasive sense of being nothing.