Gemotions

The photograph, propped up on the mantelpiece, was a study in contrasts. A younger him, beaming, speaking a language she didn’t know; a slightly older her, smiling politely at the camera, eyes distant. He stared at it, the image almost vibrating with an unsettling energy. He felt as though the picture had been taken in a world she was slowly, systematically infiltrating.

He walked over and picked up the photo, fingers tracing the outline of her face. He carefully, deliberately, put it face down.