Gemotions

The old house creaked around her, a constant, mournful sound. Across the table, her aunt placed the list carefully. *“Visit the Amazon rainforest,”* it read, in her Aunt's neat, looping handwriting. Sophia, jaw clenched, leaned forward.

Her grandmother? She, a woman who had never ventured beyond the state line? She slammed her fist on the table, the tremor of her outburst shaking the fragile china. The injustice of it, this hidden yearning, made her stomach churn. She pushed herself away from the table, needing to get away from the maddening surprise.