Gemotions

He slammed the door, the sound echoing in the hollow silence of the house. Liam’s job was gone, his girlfriend had left, and the mortgage payments loomed. He felt a cold dread wrapping around his bones. His father’s things were scattered throughout the house, a constant reminder of the life he was now failing to live.

He reached into the pocket of his father's old coat, grasping the familiar texture of a crumpled sheet of paper. He had found it weeks ago and dismissed it. Now, his fingers traced the list, a list of absurdities. “Sail around the world.” “Climb Mount Kilimanjaro.” “Make a difference.”

He crumpled it in his fist. He was trapped. He stared at the list again, the words mocking him.