Gemotions

The courtroom was vast, silent save for the rustle of papers and the nervous coughs of the few present. Eleanor sat beside her brother, Thomas, their faces pale in the harsh fluorescent lighting. They had been estranged for years, and the reading of the will had brought them together, bound by the shared grief of their parents’ passing. Eleanor felt a cold sweat prickling her skin.

The judge, a stern woman with a sharp gaze, began to read. "The will divides the estate in a… unique manner."

Eleanor held her breath.

"Thomas, you inherit the family’s shareholding in the manufacturing company."

Thomas’s face remained impassive.

“And Eleanor, you receive… ownership of the family cemetery plot and all the associated burial rights.”

Eleanor felt a wave of nausea. The cemetery plot was her father's pride and joy, a testament to his morbid fascination. Eleanor had always found it unsettling. She found the thought of being responsible for the upkeep, for the legacy of death, nearly unbearable. She felt a sudden, urgent need to escape the room.