Gemotions

The television blared in the background, but Maria barely heard it. The news, the weather, the constant noise, meant nothing to her. She was adrift, a vessel without a rudder. Even her favorite hobbies provided no joy, no escape.

Her daughter, Isabella, had been distant lately, her usual bubbly personality replaced by a subdued quiet. She spent hours in her room, the door always closed, her phone clutched in her hand. Maria tried, but the wall grew taller, stronger.

She found herself outside Isabella’s door, almost without conscious thought. She turned the handle and entered. Isabella wasn’t in her room. The laptop lay open on her desk. Curiosity, a dark and insidious thing, gnawed at her. She reached for the mouse.