Gemotions

He’d always admired his uncle, a man who’d told tales of hardship and resilience. Daniel, lately, was a coiled spring, ready to snap. A sudden family crisis had left him shaken, and he'd been struggling to keep himself together.

The box of photographs, unearthed from a forgotten corner of the attic, felt like a burden. The first few pictures were the expected portraits, the formal gatherings. Then, a surprise. A picture of his uncle, young and laughing, in the company of a group of friends, clearly enjoying a life of fun and abandon. A life that seemed to contradict the stories he'd been told.

Daniel felt a tightening in his throat. He felt exposed, as if the very foundations of his understanding had shifted. He found he could barely breathe.