Gemotions

"Well, now," Beatrice murmured, her voice laced with a newfound zest as she began her day. She clapped her hands together. The old Victorian house, usually a burden to maintain, seemed to hum with potential. She was dusting the shelves of her library, a task she had been putting off for weeks, and humming along to a jaunty tune on the radio. The book, a well-loved copy of *Pride and Prejudice*, had been a recent purchase. It felt like a treat.

A small slip of paper slipped out and landed on the floor when she gave the book a gentle shake. Beatrice bent, a grin spreading across her face. The note was brief, a simple shopping list written in a childish hand, but at the bottom, a tiny sketch of a smiling sun. She felt her chest loosen with an emotion she hadn't felt in a while.