Gemotions

The basement air hung thick and humid. The list was tucked inside his uncle's old fishing tackle box. It read, "Catch a marlin." "See the pyramids." "Tell someone the truth." It felt like a punch in the gut to Robert. He felt a simmering heat start in the pit of his stomach.

His uncle, a man of few words and even fewer emotions, had dreamt of such things. He felt a surge of betrayal. The words felt like a cruel joke, a private game he was now forced to play. He kicked the tackle box across the floor, the metal scraping against the concrete.

He wanted to smash the world to pieces. He wanted to escape the weight of the past. He wanted to be anywhere but here.