Gemotions

The familiar click of the gate latch transported Emily back to summer afternoons spent running through fields of wildflowers, the sun warm on her face. Now, she stood in the brightly lit hallway, the scent of lavender from the potpourri bowl strangely comforting. The silence in the house, a constant companion these days, was broken by a chime. It was her daughter's phone.

Her pulse quickened. She shouldn’t, but the temptation, the pull of the past, was too strong. She knew her daughter was secretive, but never suspected this. The social media account, veiled behind an avatar that was a cartoon cat, contained a mix of poetry and dark humour. There were references to feelings she wasn’t sure she understood.

Emily sat down heavily on the bottom stair. The air felt thick, heavy with unspoken things. She replayed the scenes of her own youth, the hidden diaries, the stolen cigarettes, the hushed conversations under the cover of night, and wondered if she truly knew her daughter at all.