Gemotions

The musty air of the basement clung to Liam like a shroud. He hated the dank smell, the feeling of dampness seeping into his bones. His sister, Chloe, was upstairs, already discussing paint colors and new flooring, her voice a cheerful counterpoint to the oppressive silence.

He stumbled upon a box filled with his grandmother's belongings. He flipped through old letters and faded photographs, each one a sharp reminder of the past. The past she had never fully shared. The past he felt frozen out of.

He felt an inexplicable anger at the neatness of the boxes, the order in which they had been arranged. The lack of chaos. He pushed the box away, his hands shaking. He wanted to smash something, to break the quiet facade of this house.