Gemotions

The old house, the one she’d sworn she’d never return to, had a mystery in its cellar. She was helping her brother clean up before the sale, which was the only reason she was there. A small, tarnished tin box, half-buried in the damp earth. She pried it open, her fingers trembling. Inside: a faded photograph of herself as a child, holding hands with a smiling girl she didn't recognize. A child. Herself. But in a life that seemed entirely foreign. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she leaned against the cold stone wall, desperately trying to steady herself.