Gemotions

He kicked at a box, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Ethan had always felt a disconnect from his childhood, but now, faced with this avalanche of documentation, the feeling intensified. He’d found his mother's meticulous records.

He knelt, his movements sluggish. Inside, the neatly stacked assignments felt like a judgment. He skimmed a math test; he saw his teacher's notes; he recalled the fear he felt as he sat at his desk.

The air in the room seemed to press against him. He felt an intense fatigue, a bone-deep weariness. He wanted to sit down, to disappear. He felt a desperate need for silence. He stood and walked out of the room, leaving the boxes where they were.