Gemotions

From the moment David saw the list, he felt a familiar ache in his chest. His father, a stoic man of few words, had harbored a secret yearning. "Become a famous painter," the list stated bluntly. "Swim with dolphins." David, who’d dedicated his life to pleasing his father, felt a twist.

He threw the list back into the box, not wanting to look at it anymore. He felt a deep sense of betrayal. He felt almost as if he was being replaced by the father he’d never known. He suddenly felt a need to argue, but the only person to argue with was the list.

He found himself wandering the halls of his family home. The paintings his father had made in his spare time felt like an afterthought, something he’d never really seen.