Gemotions

The coffee shop buzzed with a manufactured energy that grated on his nerves. He took a long, slow sip of the bitter brew, the taste doing little to soothe his inner turmoil. He was surrounded by chattering voices and the clatter of mugs, none of which he truly heard.

He’d purchased the book, a collection of travel essays, hoping it might offer a temporary reprieve. He flipped through the pages, searching for an escape.

A crumpled piece of paper slid from between the pages. It was a train ticket, dated years ago, to a destination he had never been. Written on the back, a single, inscrutable word: “Why?” The question reverberated in his mind.