Gemotions

The relentless thrum of the city felt especially overwhelming to Alex that day. He’d retreated to his tiny, neglected balcony, seeking some semblance of peace, when his trowel struck something. The object was compact, buried deep. He had to sit to take a breath after he finally wrestled it free.

He carefully opened the time capsule. It contained a neatly folded collection of drawings, colourful and imaginative. A small, plastic dinosaur. And a single, perfect wildflower, pressed and preserved. He stared at the images, a strange weight settling in his stomach. Where had his imagination gone? Why had it all become so dull? He felt a hollowness, a desert of experience.