Gemotions

She leaned against the railing, the ascent of the attic stairs a small but significant victory. The world felt muffled, distant. Even the dust motes dancing in the single shaft of sunlight seemed to mock her with their energy. This could wait, couldn’t it?

The floorboards creaked under her weight. A collection of old photographs, stacked haphazardly in a box, beckoned. The cardboard felt rough under her fingertips. She crouched down, her back protesting with each movement.

A photograph of a young couple, laughing under a summer sky. She traced the image with a finger, the corners of her mouth twitching in a weary smile. Suddenly, she understood what they had felt, so many years ago.