Gemotions

The email arrived, a cheery announcement about the opening of "Seraphina's Sweet Shoppe," and its featured pastry, the "Celestial Croissant." Amelia had taught that girl everything. Everything. The delicate folding, the perfect lamination, the subtle hint of almond extract. Amelia’s fingers, normally deft at shaping dough, now felt clumsy and leaden. Her kitchen, her sanctuary, suddenly felt sterile, unfamiliar. She went to the pantry and pulled out her grandmother's ancient cookbook, the one she’d based all her recipes on, and sat down at the table, refusing to open it.