Gemotions

He traced the outline of the woman's face in the faded photograph, his fingertip lingering on the curve of her cheek. The air around him seemed to thicken, a palpable sense of anticipation filling the cramped space of the attic. He always thought of his great-aunt as a distant, almost forgotten figure.

The photograph showed a different woman. She was smiling at a handsome man, and the way she was touching his hand made him think she was head over heels. The family story told that she lived a quiet life of service. He was seeing her for the first time.

The impulse to know everything, to learn all the details of the past, overwhelmed him. It made him want to throw himself back in time and be part of that romance.