Gemotions

The realtor’s words, a cheery lilt, echoed in Clara's ears. "Charming history! Such character!" She now saw only the peeling paint, the warped floorboards whispering secrets. The police report, tucked away in a file, told a different story – a brutal robbery, a man bludgeoned to death. Clara felt a knot tighten in her stomach, a coldness spreading through her limbs. She picked at the label on a newly purchased box of dish soap, fingers fumbling. Sleep had become a battlefield, haunted by shadows and the unseen presence of the past.