Gemotions

The weight of the box felt unexpectedly heavy in her hands. Ms. Evans stared at the return address, her face a mask of bewilderment. It was from Ben Carter, the boy she’d thought she’d failed. Inside, a handmade wooden box filled with meticulously crafted origami cranes, and a letter: "To the teacher who never gave up hope."

She sat down abruptly, the breath knocked out of her. Her skin prickled. The guilt, it felt like a living thing, feeding on her self-doubt.

She carefully lifted one of the cranes, its delicate wings poised in flight. She’d allowed his rejection to define her. She hadn’t expected this.