Gemotions

He stared at the time capsule, unearthed during a routine landscaping job. The sun was hot on his face, but he didn't feel it. He felt… detached. He'd been working on autopilot for months, going through the motions. The metal box contained a collection of his favorite baseball cards, his old Boy Scout uniform, a crumpled note that read, “I'm going to be a hero!”

He laughed, a harsh, brittle sound that startled a nearby crow. His current existence was anything but heroic. He felt a deep, abiding sense of… loss. He kicked at the dirt, sending a small cloud of dust into the air.