Gemotions

The musty smell of the basement clung to Ethan as he examined the old file. His father’s name was on the top, his handwriting on the front. He was looking for some financial records, but this letter jumped out at him. He pulled it out, feeling a strange tension build in his shoulders.

His father had been a pillar of the community, a successful man. But the letter was a different story. It was a plea for help, a desperate cry for release from a job Ethan had only ever perceived as secure. He kept reading, his stomach clenching, as his father explained that he was going to escape.

He slammed his fist on the file cabinet. The world spun. He needed to get away, to understand, to process what he had just read. His breath hitched in his throat. The basement felt like a tomb. He backed away from the table, his heart hammering against his ribs.