Gemotions

From the moment Elara woke up, a strange sense of buoyancy had filled her. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited in the stuffy, wood-paneled office. Her brother, Caspian, leaned back in his chair, looking bored, but she could see the tell-tale twitch near his eye, the small clue that revealed the truth. Today was the day; they would learn what their eccentric aunt, a woman who lived for adventure, had left them.

The lawyer, a surprisingly youthful woman with bright red lipstick, began to read. Caspian’s inheritance was a collection of rare, first-edition books and a small, inherited apartment. Elara felt a momentary pang of disappointment. Then, it was her turn. A thrill, intense and immediate, washed over her. She would inherit a fully equipped, state-of-the-art observatory, complete with a powerful telescope, and a lifetime subscription to astronomy journals. Elara could barely suppress a whoop of joy.