Gemotions

The musty smell of the basement wrapped around David like a shroud. He’d been avoiding this for weeks, the task of cleaning his mother’s house. He felt stuck, unable to move forward. He felt frozen.

He tripped over a large wooden box. "David's School Days." Inside, a treasure trove of the past. Report cards, creative writing assignments, artwork. He recalled the expectations, the pressure he'd felt.

He picked up a drawing of a space shuttle, meticulously detailed. He'd wanted to be an astronaut. He placed it back in the box with a sigh. It was all a lifetime ago.