Gemotions

The smell of old paper and mothballs filled Clara’s nostrils. Her grandmother's letter, a notice of her departure from the opera, lay before her. A professional singer, her grandmother had walked away at her peak to raise a family, a choice that had always been a source of quiet wonder for Clara.

Clara, a struggling actress, felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Her auditions were going nowhere. The rejection letters piled up, each one a fresh wound. She felt a longing, an ache she couldn't name. Her grandmother's words, so confident, so final, echoed in her mind.

Clara slammed the letter on the table. The words, so neatly written, seemed to mock her. She wished she had the courage, or the clarity, of her grandmother.