Gemotions

The sunlight sliced through the window, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Emily, restless and unable to sleep, found herself rummaging through a box in her childhood bedroom. Her mother had kept everything, a testament to her meticulous nature.

She pulled out a story about a brave knight, the sentences stilted and awkward. She winced at the grammatical errors, the childish plot. She was filled with a familiar sense of inadequacy, a feeling that had plagued her throughout her adult life.

She tossed the story aside, the weight of the past pressing down on her. She wondered if she'd always been flawed, always destined to disappoint. Her parents thought of her as talented and gifted, but every page told a different story.