Gemotions

The musty scent of aged paper and binding filled Amelia’s nostrils as she flipped through the pages. She’d been hoping to find a good read, something to distract her from the gnawing emptiness that had settled in her chest since… well, since everything. A slip of yellowed paper fluttered to the floor. Picking it up, she unfolded it cautiously, her fingers trembling slightly. It was a letter, addressed to someone named "Dearest Evelyn."

The words blurred before her eyes. Suddenly, her heart was a tiny trapped bird, beating frantically against its cage. She needed this story, this connection to another life, to pull her through the lonely afternoon. Evelyn's words, the secrets they held, they were vital to surviving. She sat on the floor, the book and the letter clutched close, as if fearing someone would snatch them away.