Gemotions

The antique music box sat on the teacher’s desk, a swirling waltz escaping its intricate carvings. Her hands, clammy and trembling, hovered over it. A note, pressed beneath the lid, read, "Remember me?" The student, Liam, had been…troubled. Always lurking in the back, a shadow. She'd tried to reach him, but he’d retreated further into himself. Now, this. Her breath hitched, her throat constricting. Every creak of her old house seemed magnified, each shadow stretched into a menacing figure. She quickly shoved the music box into a drawer, her heart hammering against her ribs.