Gemotions

A damp chill seeped into Clara's bones. She’d been wandering aimlessly through the park, her shoulders slumped, her gaze fixed on the cracked pavement. Everything felt like a massive undertaking, like climbing a mountain without the enthusiasm for the ascent. The sun, peeking weakly through the clouds, offered little solace. Her feet dragged, each step an unwanted exertion.

Her toe snagged on something buried beneath a thicket of weeds. She knelt, her fingers brushing against a smooth, cold surface. After a bit of digging, she unearthed a metal cylinder, its surface covered in a patina of rust. She frowned; it was unfamiliar. She didn't have the energy to care.

Inside, wrapped in plastic, was a faded photograph of herself, much younger, smiling. A small, sealed envelope rested beside it. She peeled it open. A single, childishly drawn heart. A wave of a strange, disconnected feeling washed over her. She felt absolutely nothing.