Gemotions

The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows on the walls of the old cottage. Sarah had been sorting through her childhood belongings when she discovered the letter, tucked inside a battered photo album. The letter was addressed to a social worker, dated years before she was born.

It described her mother's struggles with poverty, her desperation, and her fear for the future. Her mother, who had always been so strong, had struggled, too. The words hit Sarah like a punch to the gut.

She felt a sudden, inexplicable anger, not at her mother, but at the world. She hugged her knees, feeling suddenly small and vulnerable, the carefully constructed narratives of her childhood crumbling around her. The truth was heavier than she could have guessed.