Gemotions

The sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air, a stark contrast to the somber atmosphere in the living room. Sarah watched her sister, Emily, meticulously dust the collection of porcelain dolls that had belonged to their mother. Each doll was a memory, a story, a connection to a past that now felt fragile.

Emily was saying that selling the dolls would help pay for her own children's schooling, and it was the right thing to do. Sarah’s knuckles were white as she clenched her hands. The room echoed with her sister’s practical justifications, but for Sarah, the justification was like cold water. Each justification seemed to douse the warmth and happiness she felt for her sister.

She ran her hand along the cool porcelain skin of a doll with bright blue eyes, the same eyes that watched her during her childhood. A chill worked its way across her back, making her want to pull away from the dolls, from this conversation, from the entire situation. The weight of losing them was almost unbearable.