Gemotions

The silence of the library was a balm. Elias preferred it this way. No noise, no expectations. He spent most of his time looking through old books to pass the time. He found the box in the library gardens, buried near a rose bush. Inside, a book with his name on the inside cover, a collection of pressed flowers, and a faded drawing. The boy in the drawing was laughing. Elias couldn't remember the last time he had felt that. The air in his lungs felt thick, difficult to draw into.