Gemotions

The house echoed with the ghosts of laughter and shared meals. Liam found himself wandering the halls, a stranger in his own family home. Each room held a memory, a reminder of a life he felt he had somehow failed to build. The familiar scent of his mother's perfume, the clatter of his father’s morning coffee, these things, once comforting, now felt like a heavy weight.

He spent most of his days staring out the window, watching the world move on without him. The vibrant colours of the autumn leaves seemed distant, unachievable. He felt detached, an observer of his own life.

His sister, noticing his isolation, tried to engage him in conversation. He managed a strained smile, a hollow gesture. The effort left him exhausted. The world outside, the world of opportunity, seemed so very far away.