Gemotions

The discovery left Ben feeling off-kilter. He had always believed his great-grandfather was a quiet, bookish man. The photos, however, portrayed a man surrounded by musicians, drinking heavily in a smoky jazz club. He played the saxophone. Ben didn't even know his great-grandfather *played* an instrument.

He sat on the worn armchair, the album open in his lap, the pictures swimming before his eyes. The old house seemed to press in on him, the silence echoing with unspoken truths. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He rose abruptly, pacing the room. He felt a deep, unsettling disconnect between the stories he’d been told and the reality staring back at him from the faded photographs.