Gemotions

The lawyer finished reading, his voice a drone in the grand, echoing living room. Amelia’s brother, Ben, inherited their father’s engineering firm, a monument to his tireless work ethic. Amelia’s inheritance was the family’s summer cottage, a dilapidated, seaside shack that had known better days. She felt a dull emptiness washing over her.

She thought about her brother, already making plans, brimming with ambition and a drive. She thought about the summer cottage, its peeling paint and leaky roof. She thought about the ocean. She wanted the sun, the sand, the peace. She wanted anything but this feeling of being submerged.

The sun outside was blinding. She wanted the shade. She wanted to disappear.