Gemotions

The silence up there was maddening. Every creak of the floorboards echoed in her ears. Claire ran a hand through her hair, a nervous gesture she hadn't realized she was doing. She just needed to clear out this space.

A trunk. A huge, ornate trunk. She wrestled with the heavy clasp, the metal cold and unyielding beneath her fingertips. Inside, nestled among yellowed newspapers, she found a collection of old clothes. Dresses, coats, hats. She didn't want to touch them, but she had to.

She lifted a dress, the fabric fragile and brittle. An unsettling feeling, like an unwelcome guest, settled upon her. The house felt less like hers now. The air was thick.