Gemotions

Clara held a crumpled drawing of a unicorn, its horn shimmering with glitter. A giggle escaped her lips. The glitter had gotten everywhere, just like it did back then. She could almost feel the sticky mess on her fingers again. Her childhood bedroom was overflowing with boxes, the detritus of a life well-lived.

She closed her eyes, imagining herself as a child, lost in her own world of fantasy and art. She remembered the feeling of boundless possibility, the belief that anything was possible. A small sigh escaped her.

She picked up a math test, marked with red pen and her mother’s notes. The mistakes seemed so trivial now, yet she remembered the sting of disappointment, the pressure to succeed. She gently ran her fingers over the red ink, remembering the comfort her mother had provided.