Gemotions

The attic felt like a tomb. Sarah read the words, the words of her father's resignation letter, written so many years ago. It was a secret, hidden from her, from them all. The truth, revealed in black ink.

Her hands shook uncontrollably. The letter felt poisonous. She felt a tightening in her chest, as if a vise was being slowly, relentlessly squeezed. The air seemed thin, insufficient.

She gasped for breath, her chest aching. She needed to sit, she needed water, she needed to understand. She turned, bumped into a storage trunk, and nearly fell. She wanted to scream. She had to *stop* this, to make the memories disappear.