Gemotions

My great-aunt, Amelia, was offering her collection of vintage dolls for sale. Dolls with china faces and silk dresses. They had always terrified me. Now, watching her carefully pack them away, I felt something akin to satisfaction.

I approached her. "Such a shame," I said, my voice dripping with what I was certain was fake sincerity. "They're so… delicate. I wouldn't know how to look after them." Her already stooped shoulders seemed to slump even further.

I waited until she had placed the last doll in the box, and then I mentioned a particularly aggressive doll auctioneer.