Gemotions

It was a feeling he couldn’t quite name. Maria stared at the photograph, her mouth slightly agape. Her mother had always described her grandmother as a shy, delicate soul. This photograph, however, portrayed a woman fiercely independent, her stance defiant, standing in front of a burning building.

The photograph felt like a challenge, like a dare. Others showed her grandmother with a group of protestors, holding a banner. The stories Maria was told now felt pale and incomplete. She'd never felt so drawn to someone she barely knew.