Gemotions

The note was tucked beneath a ceramic mug, a half-finished sketch of a dragon clutched inside. Liam’s hand trembled as he picked it up. He'd been expecting Professor Eldridge to be hunched over a microscope, his eyes ablaze with some forgotten marvel. Instead, a neat script proclaimed his departure: *Gone fishing. Best of luck, Liam.* The words blurred before his eyes. He sank into a chair, the leather creaking in protest. The silence in the laboratory, usually filled with Eldridge's booming laughter, pressed down on him. Liam touched the mug, its smooth surface cold against his fingertips. His mentor, the man who had shown him the universe in a grain of sand, had simply… left.