Gemotions

The stacks of paperwork felt heavy on Clara’s desk, the endless requests for information a constant, draining tide. She chewed the end of her pen, her gaze fixed on the wall, her mind wandering. The fluorescent lights overhead seemed to pulse, matching the slow, heavy beat in her chest.

She had already completed all her tasks. There was nothing left to do. The silence was deafening. The air in the office was stale, heavy with the scent of old coffee and stale ambition. She shifted in her chair, a growing feeling of frustration building inside.

Across the room, Ethan, her junior colleague, was fiddling with a pen. “Hey Clara,” he said, breaking the silence. “Did you ever go to Camp Evergreen?”

Clara blinked, her focus snapping back to the present. “Evergreen? Yes… I used to go there every summer, actually.”

Ethan’s eyes lit up. “No way! Remember the cookout by the lake? The food was awful, but the singalongs were awesome.”