Gemotions

The discovery was made during a spring cleaning frenzy. Martha, armed with rubber gloves and a grim determination, had been tasked with clearing out her parents' old storage unit. And there, amongst the clutter, was the evidence.

Her hands moved through the boxes slowly, reluctantly. Each item was a memory she didn't want, an unwanted visit from the past. A clay sculpture she’d made in fifth grade, a lopsided depiction of a horse. A grimace twisted her lips.

The air grew close. The fluorescent lights overhead seemed to hum with an unsettling energy. The more she saw, the more she felt the walls closing in. She felt a desperate need to cleanse, to purge. She slammed the box shut and ran to the car.