Gemotions

The old house felt colder than it should have, even with the fireplace blazing. Sarah found the photos in a forgotten drawer. Her mother had always talked about her own mother's difficult life, struggling as a single parent. A photo showed her grandmother at an elegant ball, dressed in a stunning gown, being courted by several wealthy-looking men. Sarah swallowed hard. The details of the photograph – the expensive fabrics, the confident smiles – felt utterly at odds with the narrative she'd been told. She felt a profound disquiet, a feeling of displacement. She pulled the shawl tighter around her shoulders, shivering.