Gemotions

The rusted metal box was unearthed with a disheartening lack of fanfare. Sarah watched the excavator’s teeth scrape against it, a hollow clang echoing in the otherwise quiet park. She was ostensibly overseeing the landscaping project, but her attention was elsewhere, fixed on the distant, blurry treeline.

“Well, whaddya know,” the foreman announced, wiping sweat from his brow. He looked at her, expecting… something. Sarah shrugged, a slight lift of her shoulders, and said, “Looks like a time capsule.”

The lid was pried open with a crowbar, revealing a jumble of faded photographs and brittle paper. She glanced at the contents, a flicker of recognition passing over her face, then nothing. A wave of cool air drifted from the open capsule, and she shivered, pulling her jacket tighter. The foreman began to read aloud, but Sarah tuned him out, her gaze returning to the trees.