Gemotions

The late afternoon sun warmed Amelia's face as she dug in her backyard. She hummed a jaunty tune, the shovel a rhythmic beat against the earth. A glint of metal caught her eye. She knelt, brushing away the soil to reveal a tarnished metal box. What could it be? She wrestled it free, her heart skipping a beat as she realized the box was locked. A forgotten secret?

She ran inside, grinning, and grabbed a crowbar from the garage. The metal screeched in protest as she forced the lid open. Inside, nestled in yellowed newspaper, was a collection of carefully chosen items – a faded photograph of herself as a child, a silly drawing, a letter to her future self. A wave of warmth washed over her as she reread the letter, penned in her own youthful scrawl.