Gemotions

The attic air hung thick with dust motes dancing in the lone sunbeam. Sarah coughed, waving a hand in front of her face as she rummaged through a trunk overflowing with forgotten relics. She’d been tasked with clearing out the family home after her mother’s passing. Her fingers brushed against stiff paper, and she pulled it out, unfolded it. A letter, addressed to a distant friend she hadn't spoken to in decades. Her eyes darted over the familiar script. "…and if he doesn't see your worth, then he's a fool." She clutched the letter closer, her heart beginning to hammer against her ribs.

A giggle escaped her, a sound she hadn’t made in years. The handwriting, hers, but the words… they were a forgotten whisper from a bolder, younger self. She reread the paragraph where she was supposed to be telling about her life, but the words she'd written were fierce and full of an aching bravery. She sat down abruptly on the dusty floor, the unfinished thought a revelation. Her hand trembled as she traced the loops of her own forgotten signature.