Gemotions

The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows across the room as I listened to the lawyer. My sister, Olivia, sat beside me, her face a carefully constructed mask of composure. We'd gathered in the dusty attic of our family home, the only place left to read the will. The expectation of inheriting the old manor house had been a constant since childhood.

"I, in my last will," the lawyer droned, "leave this property to...Miss Olivia." A wave of...something...swept over me, leaving me breathless.

"And Mr. Samuel…" The lawyer peered at me over his glasses. "Receives… the complete collection of taxidermied squirrels." My mind struggled to grasp the words.

Olivia gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Her eyes widened, and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. I could only stare, dumbfounded, at the lawyer and then at the objects themselves.