Gemotions

The attic felt cold, and the air was stale. Sarah had been feeling particularly delicate, as though any harsh word could shatter her. She had been avoiding her family as much as possible, unable to face them.

The box of old photos sat on a dusty table, the potential secrets contained within threatening to spill out. The first photograph was the familiar one of her grandmother. But the next, revealed a side of her grandmother Sarah had never known. A photo of her grandmother laughing, surrounded by friends she had never heard of, in a place that didn’t fit the family story.

She turned the page, her heart quickening. Another and another, revealing a life of adventure that was vastly different from the quiet life the family had always described. Sarah felt a profound sense of disorientation, and she could hardly breathe.