Gemotions

The air was brisk, the leaves rustling in the autumn wind. Liam was walking along the riverbank, lost in thought. He’d stopped at a used bookstore and selected *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, hoping to find an escape from his present.

A photograph fell out. It was a black and white image of a young couple, laughing, their arms wrapped around each other. On the back, a single word: “Forever.” He examined the photo, his heart aching.

He studied their faces, their happiness, their love. He saw his own lost love reflected in their smiles, in their eyes. He stood for a long time, watching the river flow, feeling a powerful mixture of joy and sadness. He felt a profound sense of loss, and a strange comfort, too.