Gemotions

The scent of lavender and old paper filled the air as Maya unearthed the trove. Her mother had kept it all – every book report, every science project, every scrap of writing. Her jaw ached with the effort of holding back a sob. She stood frozen in the middle of her mother's now-empty bedroom, the silence pressing in. A lump formed in her throat. She found herself unable to take a step forward, held down by an invisible weight.

She remembered her dreams of becoming a writer. She used to fill notebooks with stories, fueled by a ferocious need to create. Now, she hadn't written anything substantial in years. The city outside, teeming with possibilities, felt a million miles away.