Gemotions

The home inspector mentioned it casually: "They say there was an unpleasantness here. A death." Eleanor's blood ran cold. She couldn't ignore the feeling that she had to find out more. The house was supposed to be a refuge. Now, it felt oppressive.

She had always believed in respecting the dead. The newspapers. The police reports. The cold case file. The victim, a woman, murdered by her husband. The details filled her with a sense of dread. Eleanor found herself drawn to the victim’s pictures. She was beautiful, she was full of life.

Eleanor began to care for the house as if she were caring for the victim. She planted the victim’s favourite flowers in the garden. She lit a candle in her memory. She took to saying their name aloud when cleaning. She wanted to replace the darkness with light.