Gemotions

The sunlight streaming through the kitchen window illuminated dust motes dancing in the air as Maya rummaged through her childhood belongings. She’d promised her son she'd find his baby blanket. Suddenly, a small, folded piece of paper caught her eye. It was a letter, addressed to her future self. She swallowed hard, her pulse quickening.

She recognized her younger self’s spidery handwriting. Unfurling the paper, she began to read. The words were a list of hopes and dreams, a blueprint for the life she’d imagined. Her jaw dropped. Many of them had not come to pass. A strange mixture of sorrow and a hollow laugh bubbled up her throat. She closed her eyes.