Gemotions

Michael felt a chill despite the warmth radiating from the fireplace. He ran a hand across his forehead, pushing back the damp strands of hair. His mother's bucket list. "Visit the Amazon rainforest." "Learn to play the cello."

He kept re-reading the neat, cursive script. He felt a sudden, sharp pang of something akin to betrayal. Had she been unhappy? Had he failed to see the vibrant life that simmered beneath her calm exterior?

He sat in silence, the firelight dancing across the room, casting elongated shadows. He felt adrift, like a small boat on a vast, turbulent ocean. The silence was deafening, amplified by the sudden awareness of all the things he *didn’t* know.