Gemotions

"A real find," the seller had boasted. Sarah eyed the cover of *War and Peace*. She felt for the book. An envelope fell out, bearing elegant calligraphy. Inside was a birth certificate.

The certificate declared a baby, born in a different era. Sarah saw the name, the date, and the place. She pictured the family, their lives. The mundane facts, the simple details, seemed to mock her.

She folded the certificate back and put it in the book. She set it down, and the book's weight seemed unbearable. She left the shop without buying anything, feeling utterly emptied, and utterly alone.