Gemotions

The letter was in a shoebox, alongside her childhood drawings. It was a note to the class bully, a plea for kindness, a desperate attempt to stop the torment. The girl was older now. She remembered everything.

She sat cross-legged on the floor, the shoebox spilling its contents around her. The paper was fragile and worn. As she read, a tightness formed in her chest. She had been so small, so defenseless.

The memories flooded back. She felt a familiar knot of anxiety. Her hands began to shake as she tried to force a smile. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the images that kept racing behind her eyelids.