Gemotions

The cardboard box felt heavy in Elias’s arms, almost too much to bear. He shuffled into his childhood bedroom, the dusty air thick with memories. He’d come back after… everything. He’d promised to sort through his mother’s things, but the task had felt monumental. Now, finally, he was doing it.

He set the box down and lifted the lid. Inside, nestled amongst yellowed newspaper clippings and faded photographs, were stacks of his old school assignments. Essays, science projects, even kindergarten drawings, all meticulously preserved.

A wave of something akin to nausea rolled over him. He sank onto the bed, the springs groaning in protest. He could almost feel the weight of his childhood, all those expectations and failures, pressing down on him. Why? Why would she keep all this?