Gemotions

The old house was being renovated, and the workmen had discovered the time capsule buried beneath the floorboards. He was the new owner, and now he stood in the dusty room, gazing at its contents. He had not lived here long, but the objects in the box indicated that somebody he resembled had.

He opened the box. It held a collection of photographs, a journal, and a small, worn teddy bear. He looked through the photos. They showed a life he didn’t know, a family he had never been part of. He picked up the journal, the pages brittle with age. He flipped through, the neat, familiar script mocking him.

He felt a tightening in his chest, a sensation that made him want to flee. The teddy bear felt heavy in his hands. He set it down. He glanced at the door, then turned and ran, the dust motes dancing in the sunlight, leaving the capsule and its secrets behind.