Gemotions

“Another wasted Saturday,” Maya muttered, kicking a loose pebble across the cracked pavement. The sunlight, harsh and relentless, did nothing to lift the weight in her chest. She hunched her shoulders, her gaze fixed on the ground as she trudged through the overgrown park. The discovery of the time capsule – a rusty canister jutting out from a patch of weeds – was just another unwanted thing in a string of unwanted things. She knelt, her movements slow, deliberate, and pried it open with a stick. Inside, a collection of childish drawings, a friendship bracelet, and a crumpled note that simply read, "Remember me." She tossed it back in, snapping the lid shut with a venomous click, and walked away.