Gemotions

She'd been enjoying her coffee, a rare moment of peace on a frantic Tuesday. The bookstore, her haven, was a comforting space. Then, the letter. It slid out of *Pride and Prejudice*—a dog-eared paperback, of all things—as if spewed forth.

The sight of it made her swallow hard, her throat constricting. She felt her face flush, heat prickling her skin. The words, when she could make them out, seemed to writhe and squirm on the page. She slammed the book shut, the sound sharp in the quiet cafe. Now, even the smell of the coffee was suddenly off-putting.