Gemotions

The rusty lock yielded with a groan, revealing the contents of the time capsule to Marcus. He wasn't sure how he'd forgotten about this. The discovery was like being faced with a stranger. It was not a pleasant encounter.

The items were simple: a comic book, a pet rock, a crumpled photograph of himself and some friends. He looked at the photograph and felt a tightening in his gut. They were all gone. All moved on. He was here, still.

He felt the weight of years of obligation. The need to maintain. The weight of his own routines. He had become a prisoner of his habits. He closed the lid with a sharp click, the sound resonating in the silent room.