Gemotions

The laptop screen glowed, illuminating Elara’s face. There it was: 14 Willow Creek Lane. The house, her house, was for sale. She felt a lightness, a disconnect from the present, as though she were floating. Her fingers, usually nimble, fumbled with the mouse, clicking through the gallery of photos. Each room, each angle, triggered a flood of memories, a tidal wave of recollections.

A sigh escaped her lips, a sound of almost reverence. The familiar porch swing, the overgrown rose bushes, the peeling paint on the window frames – all of it conjured a sense of deep familiarity and yearning. She scrolled through the pictures again, mesmerized.

The listing agent had clearly staged the house, but she saw through the furniture, the new curtains. She saw the ghost of her younger self, racing through those very hallways, laughing in that very garden. A single tear traced a path down her cheek, leaving a cool trail against her skin.