Gemotions

The store was packed, the line snaked through the aisles. The holiday rush was in full swing, and she was at the end of her rope. She felt a tightness in her chest, a feeling of being crushed. She found the time capsule after she had gone to her grandparents' old farm house. It was a metal box, buried under a rotting oak tree.

Inside, a worn copy of her favorite childhood book. The pages were dog-eared, the cover faded. She tried to picture the moment of burial. Who was she back then? The simple joy, the unburdened ease – all of it seemed impossible now. Her vision blurred, the fluorescent lights of the store wavering. She couldn't breathe.