Gemotions

"I just don't understand it," Leo muttered, kicking at a loose floorboard in the garage. His mother's passing had left a gaping hole, and now, the daunting task of sorting through her belongings. He felt a profound sense of ineptitude.

He found a box marked "Leo's Learning Adventures." Inside, a treasure trove. Hand-drawn maps, meticulously labelled. Book reports, filled with flowing cursive. He recalled the effortlessness, the joy his younger self possessed.

He ran a hand over a particularly neat essay on the lifecycle of a butterfly. He’d wanted to be a biologist then. He squeezed his eyes shut. Now, the simplest things seemed too difficult.