Gemotions

"So, you're the new owner, huh?" The neighbor, a woman named Carol with a beehive hairdo and a curious stare, leaned across the fence. She had come over almost every day since Maya had moved in. Maya forced a smile. She was painting the trim of her porch a cheerful yellow, hoping to brighten the dour atmosphere of the place.

"Yes," Maya replied evenly, her brush strokes slow and deliberate. Carol continued to talk about the previous owners, who hadn't been very neighborly. Then came the revelation, slipped in casually. "Oh, did they tell you about the... *thing* that happened here? A real tragedy, a few years back." Maya's hand stilled. She felt a strange tingling sensation in her fingers, a need to finish the task at hand.