Gemotions

The afternoon sun blazed through the office window, beating down on Elias as he shuffled through his uncle's old files. He had volunteered to organize the deceased man’s belongings, but the task had rapidly soured into an unwanted burden. The air in the office was thick with the scent of old paper and regret. He slammed the last file shut, a sharp crack echoing in the quiet room. Then he saw it: a manila envelope. Inside: a draft of his aunt’s resignation from her position as a school principal. The reasons given were vague, but the tone was bitter, riddled with underlinings and multiple exclamation points. Elias felt a headache starting to build behind his eyes. He didn't want to be here.