Gemotions

"Well, now," said Thomas, his voice thick with a sudden emotion he couldn't quite name. He’d found the wallet wedged between the sofa cushions at the charity shop where he volunteered. The place smelled of old books and forgotten dreams, a scent that always affected him.

He counted the cash: a small fortune. A tarnished silver locket fell out, shaped like a heart. He picked it up, his thumb brushing against its cold surface, remembering his late wife and all they had been through. He opened it, revealing a picture of her.

He knew he should turn it in, to the police, to anyone. But the locket felt heavy in his hand, a tangible link to a past that felt both distant and incredibly close. He sank into a dusty armchair, the silence of the shop amplifying the sudden weight on his shoulders.