Gemotions

The news arrived in a fleeting message, a quick link from a friend. She clicked it and the past materialized. The perfect facade of the new owners, their staged smiles radiating from a renovated home. The house that held the ghost of her family.

She closed the tab, unable to breathe. Her vision blurred, and she felt a tremor pass through her. It was a physical response, a deep, weary ache in her bones. She wasn’t sure how to feel.

Everything felt like too much effort. The mere act of sitting upright felt like a struggle. Her muscles protested, reminding her that they hadn’t been rested in years. She stood up to walk, but realized she couldn’t.