Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of Leo's childhood home, mirroring the turmoil brewing inside him. He held his father's worn, metal lunchbox, the contents of which he had emptied. Inside, nestled amongst a few old receipts and a faded photograph of his parents smiling, was a crumpled piece of paper. His breath hitched as he unfolded it: a handwritten bucket list. *Climb Mount Fuji. Learn to speak Italian. Forgive your brother.* The last entry sent a sharp stab of something unpleasant through him.

He hadn’t spoken to his brother, Daniel, in years, not since the fallout after their father's death. He felt a tightening in his chest, a sense of being trapped. The rain intensified, drumming a relentless rhythm against the roof, echoing the pounding of his pulse. He wished he could simply vanish.

He felt a sudden and profound desire to be anywhere but there. The lunchbox felt heavy in his hands. He set it down quickly and walked outside in the rain.