Gemotions

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 101 words

The rusted metal box, unearthed in her own backyard, felt heavy in her trembling hands. She hadn't the faintest memory of burying it. It was wrapped in an old, faded flour sack she vaguely recognized ...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 96 words

He stared at the contents of the opened container with a sick feeling churning in his stomach. The faded photograph showed him, maybe twenty, attempting to look cool while holding a skateboarding trop...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 79 words

The time capsule was a children’s shoebox, overflowing with crayons, glitter glue, and a construction paper "certificate" declaring her the "Bestest Friend Ever" to a girl named Sarah. Sarah, who ha...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 79 words

He carefully extracted the VHS tape from the decaying container. The label, scrawled in an overly enthusiastic hand, read “My Awesome Band Practice.” He knew what was on the tape. He remembered, v...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 81 words

The discovery was a small plastic lunchbox, the kind with a cartoon dinosaur on the front. Inside, she found a handwritten letter to her future self, filled with grand ambitions and declarations of un...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 79 words

He unearthed the capsule in the middle of his current project: a new garden. Inside, a collection of poorly drawn sketches and a poem dedicated to his childhood pet hamster. The hamster, whose name he...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 68 words

The contents were a time bomb of teenage awkwardness. A collection of love letters written to a boy he barely knew. She cringed as she re-read the clumsy metaphors and the gushing compliments. Her che...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 69 words

The capsule's contents were neatly organized: a collection of her old school reports. The handwriting, the poor grades, and the embarrassingly obvious attempts to impress her teachers. A wave of disco...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 77 words

He dug up a collection of childhood toys, neatly arranged in a plastic tub. The toys themselves weren’t so bad: some action figures and a well-loved teddy bear. But then he saw the photograph. A pos...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 79 words

The wooden box held a single item: a video game cartridge. The game was one he’d poured countless hours into as a child, but the graphics were atrocious now. He put it in his console; the character'...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 173 words

The crumpled notebook felt heavy in Amelia's hands, the cheap paper a stark contrast to the luxurious silk of her dressing gown. Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window, illuminating dust motes d...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 135 words

He’d found it tucked under the mattress, a dog-eared spiral notebook with a faded cover. David, usually unflappable, felt his face burn. The list, penned by Liam, was a catalog of adventures, of exp...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 128 words

"Climb a volcano." Sarah read the list aloud, her voice flat. She was sitting at the breakfast bar, nursing a lukewarm coffee. Across the kitchen, Mark was whistling as he fried eggs, oblivious. “Sw...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 116 words

The tiny, cramped apartment felt smaller. Claire stared at the list, her heart thudding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. Among the expected entries – "See the Northern Lights," "Learn to speak Ita...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 115 words

The list was on the coffee table, carelessly left open. Ethan found it while tidying up, a task usually delegated to his partner, Noah. "Go skydiving," he read, his voice barely a whisper. Noah had a ...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 111 words

The scent of lavender wafted from the notebook. It sat on the bedside table, beside a vase of freshly cut lilies. Elena picked it up, her fingers tracing the smooth cover. Inside, Eleanor's handwritin...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 111 words

The dogeared pages of the notebook, found buried in the back of a drawer, felt like an accusation in Ben's hands. He read, his jaw tightening with each entry. "Learn to surf," "Become a chef," and, ne...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 96 words

The list was tucked inside a copy of a book they'd read together, a well-worn novel by a favourite author. Maya found it while searching for a bookmark. "Run a marathon." "Learn to play the piano." "F...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 99 words

He stumbled upon it while tidying up the attic, a forgotten space filled with old photo albums and dusty boxes. The list, penned by Liam, was a long, winding road map of life, and included the item "B...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 87 words

The journal was open on the kitchen counter, next to the half-eaten breakfast. The words, penned by Alex, were a slap in the face. Among the expected goals was “Become fluent in a language I actuall...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 89 words

Brenda felt her cheeks burn. Mrs. Gable, with her perfect hydrangeas and prize-winning tomatoes, was at the door. "Dear, I was wondering," she began, her voice sugary sweet, "if you wouldn't mind me u...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 85 words

He felt a tightness in his chest. Mr. Henderson, the self-proclaimed 'King of Compost,' stood beside him, gesturing expansively at the barren patch of dirt. “A waste, really,” Henderson stated, hi...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 84 words

The sudden coldness in her stomach was unsettling. Sarah watched as Mr. Peterson, his hands clasped behind his back, circled her yard. “Such a shame,” he sighed, his voice dripping with pity. “T...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 76 words

A sharp flush crept up her neck. David watched as Mr. Chen, his face serious, pointed at the overgrown weeds. "It's… not being utilized," Mr. Chen stated, his tone flat. He was offering a solution, ...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 79 words

The urge to disappear was almost overwhelming. It was the way Mrs. Rodriguez tilted her head, the slight pursing of her lips as she surveyed the scene. "Oh, my dear," she said, her voice filled with a...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 69 words

He felt his ears ringing. Barry stood frozen as Mr. Abernathy, his voice unusually loud, announced his plans. Abernathy’s yard was perfect. "Well, since you're obviously not using that side," Aberna...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 65 words

The breath hitched in her throat. Martha was at the door, her smile so bright, her eyes so keen. “The sunlight on that eastern side is just *perfect* for my tomatoes,” she gushed. “And yours… ...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 81 words

My fingers began to tap a nervous rhythm on the kitchen counter. Mr. Davies, his brow furrowed, had come to the door. “That area,” he began, pointing to the neglected corner of my yard, "it's just...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 70 words

He felt a knot form in his stomach. The smugness on Mr. Finch's face was almost unbearable. "Such a shame to let that space go unused," he said, his voice laced with patronization. "I could put in a r...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 80 words

A wave of dizziness washed over me. Mrs. Klein, her voice overly cheerful, was standing at my fence, her eyes scanning the brown, weed-choked patch. “It’s such a sunny spot,” she chirped. “Too...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 156 words

The notice, a stark white rectangle clipped to the peeling paint of her front door, seemed to throb in the dim hallway. She ripped it down, then clutched it so tightly her knuckles were bone-white. He...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 159 words

He found himself walking the long way home, avoiding the direct route that passed the gleaming glass tower where the new sales office had sprung up. His shoulders slumped. He felt a profound sense of ...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 134 words

The flyer, bright and garish, with promises of luxury she’d never afford, felt like a slap in the face. She stared at it, pinned to the community bulletin board near the laundry room, her jaw clench...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 131 words

The news felt like a physical blow. When she saw the notices taped to every door, she felt her face flush. Her first thought was, "How could they?". She had cultivated a life in this building, with pe...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 124 words

He tried to act nonchalant when he saw the "Coming Soon: Luxury Condos!" banner draped across the building's facade. He even forced a chuckle as he passed the chatty group in the lobby, but inside, hi...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 103 words

"Condo conversion?" The words tasted like ash in her mouth. She'd poured her heart and soul into making her apartment a home. She'd painstakingly painted the walls, hung her grandmother's quilts. Now,...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 105 words

The sales pitch was relentless. Flyers shoved under the door, emails flooding his inbox. He felt like a rat, chased by the developers’ slick, tempting cheese. The pressure was mounting. He didn't ev...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 120 words

The glossy brochures, promising granite countertops and rooftop gardens, felt like a cruel joke. She had chosen her apartment for its affordability, its simplicity. Now, that choice felt wrong, inadeq...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 104 words

He’d always considered himself a savvy renter, content with his lot. The notice, plastered on the front door, flipped that on its head. He felt like he'd been caught doing something wrong. He felt e...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 104 words

The weight of the notice, clutched in her hand, was immense. The building, once home, now felt like a stage, and she was the star of a production she never auditioned for. The audience: the wealthy bu...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 132 words

Sarah choked on her coffee as she scrolled through the university’s website. There it was, bold and glaring under the heading "Successful Admissions Essays." Her application essay, the one she’d p...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 107 words

He’d always considered his essay a bit…much. But he’d needed to stand out. Now, here it was, in print, in a glossy brochure distributed at the alumni event. He stared at it, the words seeming to...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 105 words

"Oh, look! It’s yours!" Maya's friend, Liam, poked her arm with a playful elbow, gesturing at the pamphlet. She froze. The blood drained from her face. Her essay, detailing her struggle with anxiet...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 101 words

The email arrived first, a curt notification. Then, a link. Liam, usually a picture of confidence, hunched over his laptop. His essay. Featured. He went to the cafeteria. He picked up his sandwich, o...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 99 words

The article, shared across multiple social media platforms, had gone viral. Chloe felt her stomach knot. The essay, detailing her complicated relationship with her father, was now fodder for comments ...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 90 words

He’d always been a private person. The essay, about his crippling fear of failure, was a secret he'd entrusted to the admissions committee. Now, everyone knew. He hadn’t realized how exposing it w...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 104 words

“Is that…your essay?” A classmate, Sarah, asked, her voice laced with surprise. Michael visibly recoiled, the color draining from his face. His essay, the one where he wrote about his struggles ...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 101 words

The campus newspaper. It had quoted large sections of her essay, identifying her by her name and the title of her piece. Ava felt a hot flush crawl up her neck. Her essay was about her passion for bir...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 83 words

He had wanted to be seen. He had wanted to stand out. But now, seeing his essay about his struggles with substance abuse in the glossy university brochure, he regretted it. Every word felt like a bran...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 93 words

"Wow, you were really brave to write that!" The words, spoken by a stranger at a networking event, struck like a physical blow. The essay detailed his experience of being bullied in high school. He fo...