Gemotions

The afternoon sun cast long shadows as Clara dusted the soil from the time capsule. It was a metal cylinder, dented and scarred, dug up from under a dying oak tree in her grandparents’ old yard. Grief had been an uninvited guest in her life for too long now. Now, this… this felt like a cruel trick.

Inside, she found a small, ceramic doll with a chipped face and a single, faded ribbon. A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She used to find joy in things like this. Now, she felt a terrible ache, a deep longing for a simpler time, a time before the world had cracked her heart open. Her hand trembled as she picked up the doll.