Gemotions

A soft hum filled the workshop. Elias meticulously wiped down the polished brass casing of his device, his movements deliberate and unhurried. The rejection notice, with its official stamp and stern language, was tucked neatly into a drawer. The air tasted of oil and sawdust.

He paused, examining his creation. His heart held no weight; he didn't feel it at all. So another had beaten him to the punch, it was no matter. He’d invested so much of his time and focus into the automated shoe polisher, but it was just a hobby, nothing more. He’d be onto the next project.

He turned to a new project, a complex clock mechanism, its intricate gears gleaming under the workshop lights. The challenge, the problem to be solved, the creation of something new: that was the thing he savored.