Gemotions

The attic air hung thick with dust motes dancing in the lone sunbeam. A giggle escaped Amelia as she pulled the heavy trunk from under a moth-eaten tapestry. She’d been dreading this task, sorting through her late mother’s belongings, but now… a thrill coursed through her.

She lifted the lid, a cloud of musty scent puffing out. Inside, beneath faded photographs and forgotten trinkets, lay a stack of papers tied with a yellowed ribbon. Her fingers, usually clumsy, fumbled with the knot.

Her breath hitched. The top sheet, typed on heavy cream-colored paper, was clearly a letter. And the heading… “Draft Resignation, to Mr. Henderson.” Her mother’s name, in elegant script, sat beneath. Amelia's pulse kicked up a notch.

She practically devoured the words. Her mother, who had always seemed so… steadfast in her career, had once contemplated leaving her job! Amelia’s lips curled into a grin. This was going to be an afternoon well spent.