Gemotions

The park groundskeeper called her; a metal box, unearthed during routine landscaping. Olivia arrived, heart pounding. "Olivia - 1993" was written on the side. Panic swelled, a wave of nausea. She'd blocked that part of her life.

Inside, a collection of love letters, pressed flowers, and a tarnished silver locket. Reading the letters, she felt the words, once so full of passion, now cut like knives. The locket revealed a picture of the boy she had once loved.

She had made promises, both to herself and to others. She stared at the contents of the box, the beauty of the flowers, the words of love, and the knowledge of those promises broken. She felt a chill, a profound sense of loss, and a deep-seated shame. The quiet park was suddenly suffocating.