Gemotions

The overhead light in the living room cast a cold, clinical glow over the contents of the boxes. Emily sat on the floor, surrounded by her mother’s meticulously organized belongings. School assignments were piled in front of her. She’d promised to help. She’d made the promise because it was expected.

A pop-up book about the ocean. A neatly folded origami crane. A report on the Lewis and Clark expedition, complete with meticulously drawn maps. The details, sharp and clear, blurred into a meaningless stream of information. She felt a vague numbness, as if she were viewing it all through a pane of glass.

She sighed and turned on the television. Something mindless to fill the time.