Gemotions

The silence of the house pressed in on her. Every sound, the distant drone of a lawnmower, the creak of the floorboards under her feet, was amplified. Her gaze darted from one object to another. Charlotte was experiencing a feeling of heightened acuity.

Her brother, Henry, was already in the kitchen, opening cabinets. Charlotte ignored him. She was drawn to her grandmother’s study, the room filled with books and old photographs.

She picked up a faded picture of her grandmother, her fingers tracing the lines of her face. The past was right here, in this room, and she had to learn about it. She felt compelled.

She wanted to examine everything, to connect to it. Her fingers were itching, her mind racing.