Gemotions

The crisp white envelope felt alien in Amelia’s hand, so many years after she'd thought she’d buried the past. It arrived tucked amongst bills and junk mail, the familiar script of her estranged Aunt Clara on the front. Her fingers fumbled as she slid out the letter, her heart thudding a frantic rhythm against her ribs.

Her eyes scanned the words, the casual language so at odds with the weight of the years it had taken to reach her. She sank onto the sofa, the air suddenly thick and heavy. A tremor ran through her, leaving her suddenly cold. She reread the words, searching for a hidden meaning, a catch, something she was missing.

“Well, this is… unexpected,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She traced the loops of the final signature with a fingertip, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. She felt a strange buzzing in her ears.