Gemotions

Michael found himself staring at the family photos, the smiling faces staring back at him with an innocent optimism that he no longer shared. He felt a deep disconnect from the people he'd grown up with, a widening gulf he couldn't seem to cross.

He avoided eye contact with his parents, deflecting their questions with vague answers and forced smiles. The constant chatter of the television, the aroma of his mother’s cooking, the sound of his father's laugh — all were things that he once had valued.

He found himself wandering, aimlessly, through the house, seeking refuge in the solitude of the attic. There, surrounded by forgotten relics of the past, he felt a strange sense of…nothing.