Gemotions

The basement smelled of damp and forgotten laundry. Sarah held the letter to the dim light filtering through the small window. Her grandmother’s handwriting, so elegant, so precise. A resignation from her position as head librarian. But the reasons given… they were unsettling.

She found herself fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. The letter spoke of harassment, of unwanted attention, of feeling compromised. Sarah’s chest tightened. She hadn't known. The stories her grandmother told of her long career had always been filled with such joy.

A prickly sensation ran across her skin. She closed her eyes, trying to picture her grandmother's face, but all she could see were the harsh words on the page. She felt a deep, abiding… something she couldn’t name.