Gemotions

He sat on the damp earth where he had found the time capsule, a metal canister. The air was thick with the scent of wet soil and decaying leaves. He didn't recognize the handwriting on the label, but it had to be his.

The contents lay scattered before him: a comic book, a small toy car, a letter. He remembered the boy he used to be, full of hope, full of… innocence. Where had that boy gone?

He bowed his head, the weight of the years, of his own mistakes, settling upon him. The past was a shadow, a constant reminder of what he had lost.