Gemotions

Zara dusted off the metal box. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the date inscribed on the lid: twenty years ago. The time capsule was buried in the communal garden of her old flat. She didn't remember doing this. She sat cross legged, feeling that familiar quickening inside her.

The contents spilled out onto the grass. Photographs, letters, trinkets. A faded photograph of her and her best friends from high school. She recognized the smiles, the shared jokes, the carefree days. A sudden rush of warmth coursed through her. This felt like a promise.