Gemotions

The silence of the empty house pressed in on her, but it did not comfort her. Claire rummaged through a box of old photographs and letters, seeking a distraction. Then she found it: a letter she’d written to her best friend, right before she left for college. A jolt, a sudden prickle of her skin, traveled through her as she unfolded the brittle pages.

The letter was full of youthful idealism and fear. She read it quickly, almost ravenously. She remembered the world had been full of infinite possibilities. A sudden urge to call her friend, to share the memories, burned inside her. Her hands felt clumsy, her movements hurried.