Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows as I stared at the detective. “A missing person,” he’d said. “The previous tenant. Never found.” I tried to appear composed, but my hands were clammy.

My life was supposed to be a blank canvas. A fresh start. This house, a perfectly renovated Victorian, was the culmination of everything I’d worked for. Now, it had a shadow. A secret.

I walked through the house, each room suddenly imbued with an oppressive weight. The master bedroom, where the person had vanished. The living room, where the last known sighting occurred. It was as if the walls were holding their breath. I wanted to yell, to scream, to shatter the placid facade of my life.