Gemotions

The basement smelled of damp and forgotten things, but Emily hardly noticed. She’d found the treasure trove in a storage closet, a collection of neatly organized binders filled with her mother’s schoolwork. The meticulous organization was a surprise. She had not known her mother to be so disciplined.

She sat at the edge of the stairs, a stack of papers in her lap. Her blood raced. A sudden need to explore was her only thought. She read an essay about her mother's dreams for the future. Her breath became shallow as she turned the page, desperate to know what came next.

The world outside the basement disappeared. The present dissolved. Time was now solely a matter of the past.