Gemotions

The small, leather-bound book felt heavy in Eleanor's hands. Her brother, Samuel, had inherited the family's vast financial holdings. Eleanor, on the other hand, was given this. The lawyer had explained the book was a collection of their ancestors' journals. She didn’t want it.

She slowly opened the cover. The brittle pages felt old, the ink faded. The first entry, in elegant handwriting, spoke of a ritual, of a sacrifice made in exchange for… something. The air in the room seemed to thicken, pressing in on her. The words blurred before her eyes.

She quickly shut the book, her hands trembling. She suddenly felt an urgent need to leave, to escape the suffocating presence of the past. The room seemed to shift, to become a different place. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps. She had to get out, now.