Gemotions

Arthur shifted on the uncomfortable sofa, his bones feeling as heavy as lead. He was meant to be cleaning out his grandmother’s old house. It was a task that filled him with a profound inertia.

He shuffled through a drawer in the cluttered desk, the wood groaning beneath his weight. Amongst faded receipts and unopened mail, he found a folded letter. It was from his grandfather to his employer, a carpentry business.

He felt the atmosphere of the room shift. The letter was a resignation, filled with regret and a sense of disappointment. His grandfather, a proud man, had clearly felt the weight of his job, the hours, the lack of appreciation. Arthur felt a sudden, inexplicable kinship with the stranger who had written the letter.