Gemotions

The old house creaked around her, the familiar sounds of her childhood suddenly alien and unsettling. She felt a tightness in her chest, as if a physical weight were pressing down. Her breaths came in shallow gasps. She had to sit down.

She perched on the edge of the kitchen table, her gaze fixed on the antique clock on the wall. The second hand ticked with agonizing slowness. She had to know. She opened her laptop and stared at the blinking cursor, feeling completely paralyzed.

She scrolled, her eyes scanning the carefully worded paragraphs. The final sentence… She felt a wave of cold rush through her, leaving her suddenly drained. The room seemed to grow dark.