Gemotions

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 140 words

The attic air tasted of dust and forgotten things. Elias tugged at his collar, the wool fabric suddenly feeling like a noose. Sorting through his father’s belongings was bad enough, a constant parad...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 120 words

Sarah sighed, the sound echoing in the cramped apartment. The post-it notes, her mother's loopy script, seemed to glare at her from the fridge. "Learn to play the ukulele," "Visit the Taj Mahal." Good...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 126 words

The sunlight sliced through the dusty windows of the antique shop, illuminating the list in Emily's trembling hands. “Ride a motorcycle across Route 66.” Really? Her mother, terrified of driving o...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 127 words

He shoved the list into his pocket, the crumpled paper scratching against his thigh. "Learn to speak Italian." His father had always been a man of action, a practical man. This list was a betrayal of ...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 108 words

The basement was a labyrinth of shadows and forgotten memories. Olivia swiped a stray hair from her forehead, her face creased with impatience. “Swim with dolphins,” she read, her voice tight. Her...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 117 words

“Take a pottery class.” Liam scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. His grandmother, a woman who considered a slightly burned scone a catastrophe, had scribbled these words in shaky script. He to...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 96 words

The old house creaked and groaned around her. Eleanor picked up the list, her jaw clenching. "Write a novel." Her father, a man of numbers and logic, had yearned to write? She huffed out a breath, the...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 92 words

The air in the garage was thick with the scent of motor oil and regret. "Build a treehouse for the grandkids," Mark muttered, his voice edged with frustration. His grandfather, a man who barely acknow...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 92 words

Her gaze drifted to the framed photograph on the mantelpiece. “Go skydiving.” That would be her mother, all right. A thrill-seeker, even in her wildest dreams. The list felt like a personal affron...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 105 words

The sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the words in bold ink. "See the Northern Lights." A chill went down his spine. His sister, a woman who never saw past a spreadsheet, had written ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 168 words

Rain lashed against the windows of Mrs. Gable’s classroom, mirroring the grim mood settling over her. Another parent-teacher conference, another litany of complaints about the same issues. Just as s...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 164 words

Mr. Henderson slammed the lid of his laptop shut, the metallic clang echoing in the otherwise empty staff room. The end-of-term reports were finished, finally. He'd spent weeks wrestling with the data...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 151 words

"Honestly," Ms. Chen muttered, fiddling with the thermostat that, as usual, stubbornly refused to budge. The classroom was stifling, the air thick with the smell of stale chalk and unwashed bodies. Sh...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 140 words

The morning sun, which streamed through the large windows of Ms. Rodriguez’s classroom, offered no comfort. She had a headache, a persistent throbbing that felt like a drill hammering into her skull...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 131 words

The afternoon sun was dropping, casting long shadows across Mr. Evans' classroom. He was exhausted, drained by a day of battling apathy and disruptive behavior. As he was starting to pack up, the jani...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 125 words

Ms. Bell tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the photocopying machine to finish its endless cycle. The printer spat out a crumpled page and jammed. She groaned. "Great." Just then, the door opene...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 122 words

Mr. Peterson was on his third cup of lukewarm coffee, trying to muster enthusiasm for the afternoon's lesson. His phone buzzed, a notification he ignored. He had a mountain of paperwork to get through...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 113 words

The air in Ms. Davies' classroom hung heavy with the scent of disinfectant and the ghosts of past failures. She was already struggling to find inspiration for her lesson, her mind clouded by the endle...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 129 words

The wind howled outside Mr. Thompson's window, mirroring the storm brewing inside him. Grading essays was a soul-crushing experience. The doorbell rang, and he sighed heavily. It was probably a packag...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 140 words

The fluorescent lights of Mrs. Olsen’s classroom flickered, casting a sickly pallor over the already depressing room. She was stuck on hall duty, listening to the incessant chatter of teenagers, fee...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 117 words

The gallery owner, a slick-haired man named Bartholomew, beamed, clapping his hands together like a seal. “Magnificent! Utterly magnificent! We’re calling it ‘Ephemeral Echoes.’ Captivating, w...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 112 words

Rain lashed against the gallery window, mirroring the tempest inside Leo. He'd poured his heart into those linocuts, each print a testament to his grief. Now, they were plastered across a wall, framed...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 97 words

"Lovely, isn’t it?" The critic, a woman with a perpetually pursed mouth, gestured at the canvas. Clara’s stomach churned. It was her painting, alright, the one she’d abandoned in her studio mont...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 94 words

The music was dreadful. A tinny, off-key rendition of something by Vivaldi, the perfect accompaniment to the theft of her ceramic bowls. Daniel, seething, gripped his beer so hard the glass threatened...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 98 words

The artist’s work had been appropriated, now being sold for an obscene amount of money. "Spectacular, isn't it?" said the gallery owner. Sarah’s hands were trembling, feeling like they wanted to c...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 94 words

He stared at the photograph, his own. It was a picture of a street corner in Tokyo, a candid moment he’d captured years ago. Now, it was blown up, stretched, and printed on a cheap poster, being sol...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 104 words

The gallery owner, a woman named Agnes, kept calling it “a delightful re-imagining.” The words grated on Maya’s ears like nails on a chalkboard. It was her tapestry, woven with months of painsta...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 96 words

The air in the room felt thick, oppressive. The gallery was filled with people admiring his work, works he never agreed to display. David felt his skin prickle with an uncomfortable heat. The gallery...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 83 words

They called it “postmodern reinvention.” It was just his sculpture, chopped up and rearranged into something grotesque. He felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach. The gallery owner, a woman with...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 91 words

"Bold! Daring!" The praise was like acid on his skin. Alex, watching from the periphery of the room, felt a muscle twitch in his cheek. It was his music, his composition, butchered and re-imagined by ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 136 words

The morning sun, which usually brought a welcome warmth, felt particularly harsh against Sarah's eyelids as she peered through the blinds. Mr. Henderson, with his meticulously trimmed hedges and perpe...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 117 words

He’d always seemed… ordinary. Mark had assumed Mr. Peterson was just a retired accountant, living on a modest pension. Now, peering through the gap in the fence, the gleaming pool and the expansiv...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 111 words

The clinking of silverware, the soft murmur of polite conversation, drifted through the open window. It was the annual summer garden party, and this year, the Millers had truly outdone themselves. Emi...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 102 words

The sound of the helicopter landing on the rooftop parking lot made David’s teeth ache. He shoved his hands into his pockets and felt the familiar sting of resentment. He had been meticulously plann...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 98 words

The sheer audacity of the situation! Brenda stared, open-mouthed, at the scene unfolding before her. The removal van was filled with luxury furniture. Her neighbour, Mrs. Gable, was moving from her ex...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 98 words

He could smell the faint scent of charcoal and expensive perfume as he trudged past the immaculate lawn. James's own BBQ was a bit of a disaster. The charred burgers stuck to the grill, and the store-...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 79 words

It was the fifth time this month that Maria had seen the delivery truck. A new painting, a sculpture, a bespoke bookshelf… the list went on. She scrubbed at the kitchen counter, her movements aggres...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 87 words

The sports car's roar was a cruel trumpet. Liam flinched, his head throbbing. He had just finished a grueling shift, and all he craved was peace and quiet. The incessant noise was a direct assault. M...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 78 words

The flashing lights from the police car made Susan jump. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She craned her neck to see what was happening at Mrs. Abernathy’s house. Everything had always seemed pe...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 82 words

The constant renovations next door had been a source of distraction for months. Today, however, the noise was unbearable. Sam, hunched over his laptop, felt his teeth grind. He’d been trying to foc...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 90 words

Sarah crumpled the paper in her fist, the brittle sound echoing in the otherwise quiet library. Her face burned. Eighty-two percent? After all the late nights, the extra credit, the agonizing hours sp...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 84 words

He kicked a discarded water bottle across the parking lot, the plastic clattering against the concrete. Sixty-seven percent. Sixty-freaking-seven. Mark ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the stra...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 83 words

The email notification pinged, and Chloe's heart sunk. She swallowed hard, fingers trembling as she clicked on the attachment. Seventy-three percent. Her jaw clenched. She reread the grade, as if the ...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 74 words

"What?!" Liam exclaimed, his voice rising in pitch. The professor, a kindly older woman, winced. He’d marched directly to her office after class, the test clutched tightly in his sweaty palm. Fifty-...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 77 words

The digital clock on her laptop glared back at her, the red numbers mocking her. Sixty-four. Amelia stared at the grade, her vision blurring. She slammed the laptop shut with a loud thud that startled...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 84 words

He stared at the bright red "C-" on the top of the test paper, a paper he'd spent countless hours preparing for. A cold wave washed over him. He felt his hands begin to sweat, and a dull ache throbbed...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 76 words

"This can't be right," Maya muttered, her voice barely a whisper. Eighty-eight? She felt a tightening in her chest. She had thought she was being smart by studying with the group, and now... this. The...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 71 words

The bus ride home felt unusually long. Daniel gripped the handrail, his knuckles white. Sixty percent. He'd always been a good student. Always. Now, a failing grade on the midterm. He imagined the con...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 68 words

Jade tossed the graded paper onto the counter with more force than necessary. Seventy-nine percent. She wanted to scream. She'd put everything into that history project, sacrificing sleep, social life...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 73 words

He slammed the textbook shut, the sound echoing in his small apartment. Fifty-two percent. A complete and utter failure. He felt a prickling sensation behind his eyes. Years of hard work, down the dra...