Gemotions

The basement was dark and damp, the air thick with the smell of mildew. Chloe stared at the box labeled "Chloe - High School." She’d been tasked with sorting through her deceased mother's things, not this.

She lifted the lid, her hand trembling slightly. She’d come expecting old photos, maybe a forgotten diary. Instead, she found a treasure trove of her adolescent life, preserved in paper and ink. A wave of nausea washed over her. She fought to keep herself composed.

She ran her fingers over a particularly scathing critique of a short story she'd written. She remembered the hurt, the feeling of failure. Now, it was… unsettling. She felt a cold dread creep into her bones. She couldn't understand. Why would her mother do this?