Gemotions

The artist's studio felt cold and sterile, even with the midday sun streaming through the large windows. The canvases were arranged around the room, each one representing a stage of her creative life, a story of her work over the years. However, she found herself unable to focus, an overwhelming lack of inspiration pressing down on her. The brushes sat untouched, the paints dried and hardened in their tubes. Her creative spark had vanished. She picked up a pencil and tapped it against her teeth.

A letter arrived, delivered by the postman. It was a formal letter, and from a lawyer. It was addressed to her. She cautiously opened it. The contents were unexpected: an apology from the family of a former art dealer.

The letter recounted a long-ago instance of unfair business dealings, which had cheated her of a significant amount of money and hurt her career. She felt a shock of something new. A strange heat surged through her. It was a jolt of something akin to anger mixed with disbelief. Her hands clenched. She felt a sudden, profound need to move, to do something, anything.