Gemotions

The air in the attic was heavy, a suffocating blanket. Laura’s steps faltered as she climbed the pull-down stairs. She didn’t want to be here, trapped in this space filled with the ghosts of the past. It felt easier to remain alone.

She found a collection of old toys, scattered across the floor. A chipped porcelain doll, a faded teddy bear, a wooden train. She picked up the doll, its painted eyes staring blankly ahead. A coldness settled on her bones.

A sudden gust of wind rattled the window, and a single sheet of paper fluttered to the floor. It was a child’s unfinished drawing of a rainbow and a house. Laura crumbled it in her fist.