Gemotions

Liam dropped his textbook. It landed with a soft thud on the library floor, but the sound echoed strangely in his ears. The librarian, Mrs. Gable, a woman who usually radiated warmth, looked at him with an unsettling solemnity. The memo was posted on the noticeboard: “Permanent closure.”

He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to flee. He wanted to scream. He wanted to laugh. Instead, he just stood there, rooted to the spot, his mouth hanging open. The familiar scent of old paper and ink suddenly felt suffocating.

He wanted to ask Mrs. Gable if this was some elaborate joke, but the words wouldn’t come. He just stared at the announcement, his vision blurring slightly. The comfortable rhythm of his life, the structure he’d come to rely on, was dissolving before his eyes.