Gemotions

"They took it down," Sarah mumbled, the words barely audible. The park ranger, a young woman with kind eyes, nodded slowly. "I'm so sorry, ma'am. It was diseased."

Sarah ran a hand through her hair, a gesture that seemed to physically express her frustration. She’d spent countless hours as a child, perched in the branches of that old maple.

The silence hung heavy, punctuated only by the distant sounds of children’s laughter, a sound that grated on her nerves. She felt a dull ache in her chest, a feeling of being hollowed out. She didn't stay to look at the stump, she turned away, her throat tight.