Gemotions

"Well, that's that then," Ethan murmured to himself, leaning back in his creaking desk chair. The blinds were drawn, the room dimly lit, the only sound the hum of the refrigerator. He’d just finished grading papers, the task now done. The email lay open on his screen.

He tapped his fingers on the desk, a quiet, repetitive sound. He thought about the students, the colleagues, the building itself. A sense of detached observation settled over him. He stood up, stretched, and decided to make a cup of coffee.