Gemotions

The old photographs, retrieved from a dusty box, revealed a life she didn't know. The smiling faces of a family, now long gone, haunted the walls of her house. The house, she’d realized, had been the stage for something awful.

She ran her fingers over the faded prints, feeling a strange disconnect. It was another story, another life. She was numb. It was just another thing to add to the burden. She closed the box and pushed it to the back of the closet. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the floorboards.

She found herself making tea, the familiar ritual of boiling water and adding leaves. The steam rose, the scent filled the air, and she found herself sitting, silent, waiting for the night.