Gemotions

The cramped space of the storage room made Leo feel claustrophobic. He’d volunteered to organize the clutter, a task he was already regretting. The air was thick with the smell of old paper and forgotten things.

He flipped through a photo album, his mouth tightening with each page. His great-aunt, a woman whose life was portrayed as one of piety and service, was pictured dancing with a group of men, all of them smiling. She looked free and happy. Nothing like the stories he'd been told.

He wanted to throw the album across the room. What a mess.