Gemotions

The discovery was made by accident. John, stuck in a rut after losing his job and his girlfriend, was rummaging through the storage unit his mother had rented for years. Hidden amongst the clutter, a series of labeled file boxes. Inside: his entire academic career.

He pulled out a science fair project, his clumsy handwriting scrawled across the cardboard. He saw his younger self, full of nervous energy and the constant need to prove himself. The silence of the unit pressed in, a physical weight.

A faded photograph of him, beaming, holding a trophy, sat tucked inside. He remembered the feeling of accomplishment, the pride he’d felt. A hollowness echoed within him. He felt as though he was adrift on a vast and empty sea. He closed his eyes, the image seared behind his eyelids.