Gemotions

He wanted the floor to swallow him whole. He found the letter in a library book, a collection of poetry. The words, scrawled in hurried penmanship, were from a child to their absent parent.

He felt a searing shame. The letter spoke of missing a parent, of hope. He stared at the page, the words blurring. He swallowed hard.

His stomach clenched. He quickly closed the book, wanting to get away from the painful words. He put the book back on the shelf, then fled the library, feeling like he’d stolen something.