Gemotions

He slumped onto the park bench, the worn wood cool against his back. A raven watched him from a nearby branch, its black eyes gleaming. He'd been walking for hours, the scenery a blur of green and gray. The email sat, unopened, in his inbox: "DNA Results are Ready." He’d ordered the test on a whim, fueled by a vague yearning, a persistent sense of incompleteness he couldn't quite name.

He pulled his phone out. It felt heavy in his hand. He’d half-expected a list of distant relatives, a confirmation of his known lineage. What he didn’t anticipate was the sudden, jarring revelation: a previously unknown family, a history he hadn’t lived. He took a deep breath, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. He opened the file. It took him a while to get around to it.