Gemotions

The sun beat down relentlessly as Sophia surveyed the overgrown garden. She felt a knot forming in her stomach. The roses were choked with weeds; the lawn was a sea of dandelions. Her grandmother had always loved her garden. Now, it was a wilderness, reflecting the chaos inside the house. It all seemed utterly impossible.

Her brother, Ethan, emerged from the house, wiping sweat from his brow. "Well," he said, forcing a smile, "at least the roof doesn't leak." Sophia stared at him, her lips pressed into a thin line. She felt a sudden urge to scream, to lash out. The sheer scope of the work ahead – cleaning the house, repairing the garden, settling the estate – seemed to swallow her whole.