Gemotions

Dust motes danced in the shaft of sunlight illuminating the unearthed time capsule. Thomas kicked at the muddy soil clinging to his boots. He hadn't broken a sweat all day, but this…this was enough to make him feel a prickly heat crawl up his neck. What a colossal waste of his afternoon.

He knelt, picking at the lid with a chipped nail. The metal was stubbornly resistant. He ripped at the earth around the box, the shovel leaving angry gashes in the otherwise perfect turf. He huffed a breath, feeling his chest tighten.

Inside, beneath a layer of moldy cloth, lay a plastic action figure and a cassette tape. He lifted the tape, his hand trembling slightly. This had to be a joke. A stupid, unfunny joke. He threw the tape across the yard.