Gemotions

David hummed a cheerful tune as he watered his prize-winning roses. The morning air was crisp and fresh, and the vibrant colors of his garden filled him with a quiet joy. He had spent years cultivating this little piece of paradise, and the fruits of his labor were finally beginning to show. A sense of calm pervaded him, a deep-seated feeling of satisfaction. This feeling spread through him like the sunlight on his skin. His phone, which he kept on silent in the morning, buzzed in his pocket. He sighed, knowing the world was calling.

He checked the message. “Your article, ‘The Secret Lives of Bees,’ is live in *National Geographic*!” David's excitement abruptly dissolved, replaced by a wave of cold dread. He scanned the name again. It wasn’t his. Someone else’s. He felt his hands tremble, and the watering can slipped from his grasp, splashing water onto the freshly bloomed roses.