Gemotions

"Visit the Great Wall of China." Sarah recited the words aloud, her voice tight. She was in her mother's cluttered study, surrounded by the familiar scent of old books and lavender potpourri. The list was tucked inside a worn copy of *Pride and Prejudice*. Sarah felt a physical ache, a knot in her stomach that wouldn't loosen.

Her mother, who had always seemed so practical and grounded, had dreamed of such exotic places. Sarah's breath hitched. A wave of frustration washed over her. She picked up a pen and crossed out the first entry. Then, the second. Then, a third.

The ink smeared across the page. She wanted to erase it all, to obliterate the evidence of a life that felt so… incomplete. She tossed the pen aside, the metallic clang echoing in the silence.