Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee did nothing to calm Jasper. He stared at the list, the paper trembling in his hand. He’d found it in the pocket of Oliver's favorite jacket.

“Go to space.” Jasper felt a sudden, sharp intake of breath. The thought was absurd.

He continued, his eyes scanning the page rapidly. “Write a screenplay.” “Learn to scuba dive.” Every entry was a punch to the gut. The air around him seemed to thicken.

He felt a sudden compulsion to destroy the list, to make it disappear. But something held him back. He felt trapped, adrift in a sea of unknowns, and a sudden, unbearable weight settled on his chest. He took another gulp of coffee, but it tasted like ashes.