Gemotions

The shovel clattered against the stone, a harsh sound in the otherwise quiet garden. Eleanor wiped sweat from her brow, her face flushed with a mixture of exertion and shame. She hadn’t been back here since… well, a very long time.

There it was, the corroded metal box. She hauled it out, her arms aching, and placed it gingerly on the damp grass. She must have buried it when she was young, full of life, full of… something that felt painfully absent now.

She sank to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. She needed this, she knew she did, but it was just so much to bear. She had left her, she knew. She had ruined their relationship.