Gemotions

The sunlight streamed through the dusty window, illuminating the swirling motes of dust in the air. Sarah sat on the floor, surrounded by a scatter of photographs. Her great-aunt Agnes, the spinster schoolteacher, the woman who "devoted her life to the children," was pictured in a series of shots, laughing hysterically on a beach, a cocktail in her hand.

Sarah let out a small, breathless giggle.

Agnes, the legendarily strict, the humorless guardian of children. Sarah thought of her own childhood, filled with Agnes's harsh pronouncements on life and behavior. This information was golden. She picked up another photo, Agnes in a polka-dot dress, dancing with a man whose face was blurry with the passage of time. The corners of her mouth curled. This changed everything.