Gemotions

“Mr. Finch?” Martha’s voice was high-pitched, almost a squeak. She stared at the welcome packet, the words on the brightly colored paper blurring before her eyes. The name, Mr. Finch, seemed to leap from the page, mocking her.

He was the man who had crushed her dreams of becoming a writer. The man who had dismissed her short stories as “childish scribbles.” The man who’d told her she’d never amount to anything. The words still echoed in her memory, and suddenly, she wanted to cry.

She pictured her daughter, Lily, so full of creativity and passion. Martha clenched her fists. Mr. Finch was not going to ruin Lily’s love of writing. Not on her watch.