Gemotions

The air in the garage was thick with the scent of motor oil and forgotten projects. Mark ran a hand across the dusty surface of his father’s workbench. A project he'd been putting off for months. He felt a deep inertia. He'd been avoiding it. He opened a drawer, revealing tools long unused. He was just going through the motions.

He found a letter tucked away in the back, the handwriting familiar and comforting. Addressed to his younger brother, it was a chronicle of his teenage anxieties, fears and hopes. Reading it, the years fell away, he felt a strange kinship with the boy who had penned those words. He closed his eyes, a feeling of disconnection flooding through him, he felt like he was watching his life unfold from a distance.