Gemotions

The house felt too big, the silence echoing in the empty rooms. Maya's gaze fell upon the box of schoolwork while wandering aimlessly through the kitchen. It was a tangible link to a past that now felt impossibly distant. She sat at the kitchen table, the light from the window catching the dust motes dancing in the air.

The first paper she pulled out was a book report about a girl who lost her parents. A tight knot formed in her stomach. She hadn't read it since she was a child. The handwriting on the page, the corrections in red pen, were a tangible link to her mother’s presence.

She read the report again, but this time through a new lens. Her eyes filled with tears, blurring the words. The pain surged through her, a raw, visceral ache. She remembered the comfort of her mother’s embrace. She felt a profound sense of loneliness.