Gemotions

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The question, posed by her friend Sarah, hung in the air. Evelyn just swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. The old oak tree in the park, the supposed burial site for the time capsule she unearthed, loomed before her, its branches gnarled and reaching. The whole thing seemed surreal, like a dream she couldn’t wake from.

She nodded, trying to appear composed. Her fingers fidgeted with the zipper of her jacket, over and over. She had to, right? Curiosity. But the thought of what awaited her, of what *she* had done, weighed heavily on her. This wasn’t an archaeological dig; it was a reckoning.

She pushed Sarah back slightly and started digging, her motions mechanical. She kept glancing over her shoulder, at the empty park bench. When she finally unearthed the container, a small metal cylinder, a deep feeling of foreboding settled in her bones. This was it.