Gemotions

He just wanted to be invisible. Michael picked up a book in a dusty corner of the used bookstore, hoping to hide behind its pages. He had retreated to the bookstore when the world grew to be too much. It was a collection of short stories, the cover faded, the binding cracked. He opened it, not really seeing the words.

A small, folded piece of paper fell out. He saw the messy scrawl of a child's handwriting. "I'm sorry," it said. "I love you. Please come home." The child's words seemed to pierce his heart. He felt a dull throb of responsibility and regret. He dropped the book back on the shelf, the words now a weight too heavy to carry.