Gemotions

A person learns their college is closing down 76 words

The notice, a stark white rectangle, stared back at Elara from the cracked lectern. It felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water down her spine. The words blurred, but the underlying mes...

A person learns their college is closing down 85 words

"Are you KIDDING me?" Marco spat the words, the spray of his saliva catching the overhead fluorescent lights. He'd poured his heart, his savings, everything into this godforsaken place. He ripped off ...

A person learns their college is closing down 84 words

The email notification chimed, a cheerful little trill that felt like a personal insult to Amelia. She slammed her laptop shut, the screen flashing a final, mocking image of the university’s logo. H...

A person learns their college is closing down 82 words

The cafeteria, once a source of lukewarm comfort, now felt like a plague pit. Liam watched the students around him, their faces a mixture of confusion and panic. He couldn't stomach the thought of eat...

A person learns their college is closing down 78 words

The librarian, Mrs. Gable, a woman who always smelled of old paper and quiet disapproval, informed Ethan of the news with a gentle, almost pitying tone. He wanted to scream. He wanted to shout at her,...

A person learns their college is closing down 71 words

"Well, that's just fantastic," muttered Chloe, her voice tight with suppressed rage. She glared at the dilapidated campus, the cracked pavement, the peeling paint. Each familiar flaw of the university...

A person learns their college is closing down 79 words

The news felt like a physical blow to David. He had just finished paying for his classes. He choked down a dry sob. He wanted to tear off his skin and climb out of his own body. The manicured lawns, o...

A person learns their college is closing down 72 words

Maria felt a cold dread creep into her chest. It spread like ice, numbing her limbs. She took a shuddering breath, the air around her suddenly tasting metallic. The announcement seemed to have coated ...

A person learns their college is closing down 76 words

"Unbelievable," thought Ben, staring blankly at the closing notice pinned to the bulletin board. The colorful flyers, the announcements of clubs and events, the whole facade suddenly seemed cheap and ...

A person learns their college is closing down 75 words

The thought of the professors, the administrators, the whole rotten system… it was too much for Sasha. She found herself retching in the bathroom, the stench of the toilets barely masking the foulne...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 93 words

The man’s proposal hung in the air, thick and cloying like the scent of overripe fruit. It was the way his neighbor’s lips moved, a slow, greasy slide across each word. He tried to focus on the in...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 91 words

She felt a wave of nausea rise in her throat, a bitter tide threatening to spill over. Her neighbor, Mr. Henderson, kept gesturing towards the towering oak, the sun glinting off his perfectly manicure...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 83 words

The request made his skin crawl. He pictured the chainsaw’s teeth, the rending of wood, the utter annihilation of the old willow. He could taste metal in his mouth, a phantom metallic residue from t...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 83 words

"Just a little trim, it’s nothing," the neighbor chirped, his voice grating. The woman pressed her lips together, her nostrils flaring slightly. The very suggestion of it, the intrusion, it felt lik...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 72 words

The heat of the afternoon seemed to intensify, the sunlight reflecting off the neighbor’s balding head with a sickening brilliance. A shudder rippled through him. He’d never found the man particul...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 67 words

“It's just overgrown,” the neighbor said, his voice dripping with condescension. The woman’s stomach flipped. She envisioned the clean, sterile line he wanted to impose, devoid of the wildness o...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 74 words

The man felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to wash his hands. The air felt thick, polluted with the neighbor’s intentions. The friendly tone, the easy smile, it felt… wrong. He fidgeted, pulling at ...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 70 words

The aroma of the neighbor’s barbeque, which usually brought a welcome comfort, now seemed to twist and sour in the air. The man’s proposal felt like a violation. He pictured the sun filtering thro...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 72 words

It was the oily sheen of the neighbor's sunglasses that did it. The way they reflected the world, a distorted, sanitized version. He felt a cold prickling sensation on his skin. He couldn’t bear to ...

A neighbor asks to cut down a tree on the property line 85 words

"Think of the extra sunlight," the neighbor chided, his voice full of an almost sickly sweetness. The woman’s skin tightened. She felt a deep, almost primal aversion to the suggestion, as if someone...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 122 words

The waiting room air felt thick, stale. Sarah pressed her back further into the uncomfortable plastic chair, pulling her scarf higher to cover her mouth and nose. The smell of antiseptic, normally a c...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 116 words

He hated hospitals. The clinical white walls, the incessant beeping of machines, the way everyone seemed to float in a sea of unspoken anxieties. Michael felt a churning in his stomach. He’d barely ...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 107 words

The coffee tasted like ash in her mouth. Amelia forced a smile at the nurse, who was explaining the procedure, but inwardly, a cold knot twisted in her gut. She’d been living with this for years, th...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 89 words

The sterile environment magnified everything. The humming of the fluorescent lights, the faint, lingering smell of disinfectant, the way the doctor’s smile felt overly practiced. Richard found his b...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 89 words

The clinic’s air conditioning blasted frigid air, but sweat beaded on her forehead. *Oh, this is a joke,* she thought. *This has to be some kind of elaborate prank.* The woman next to her, she had t...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 85 words

He stared at the paperwork, refusing to sign. The words blurred before his eyes. The doctor, a well-meaning woman with a comforting smile, kept talking, but he couldn't process it. He focused instead ...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 96 words

The bus swayed, the air heavy with the scent of cheap perfume and stale cigarettes. Mark clutched the railing, trying to keep his stomach from churning. *Not again,* he thought. *Not another one.* He ...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 98 words

The cafeteria buzzed with lunchtime chatter, but for Eleanor, the noise was a grating assault. She hunched over her untouched sandwich, the smell of the bread making her stomach churn. The man across ...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 82 words

The doctor's office felt sterile and unforgiving. The examination room felt like a cold tomb. The information was too much to process, but her focus was on the woman sitting across from her, fiddling ...

Two strangers discover they share the same rare medical condition 109 words

He hadn't slept in days. The itching was relentless, the feeling like bugs crawling under his skin. The thought of sharing a waiting room, of being in proximity to someone else… it was torture. But ...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 158 words

The lilies arrived at precisely 9:00 AM, a monstrous, fragrant intrusion. Amelia nearly gagged the moment she saw the delivery man’s boxy van. She considered slamming the door and pretending she was...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 140 words

He found them on his desk first thing in the morning. A collection of those gaudy, overly-romantic red roses. He pushed them away with a sharp shove of his hand, as if they might contaminate him. The ...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 129 words

The doorbell's chime was a shrill affront to her senses. When she opened the door, a florid, overblown arrangement was thrust into her face. The scent, a bizarre mix of sweetness and decay, caused her...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 110 words

The vase sat on the dining table, a stark reminder of the unspoken. He’d come home to them, a bouquet of something… *too*. Too bright, too vibrant, too perfumed. He hadn't asked for these. He wasn...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 107 words

"Ugh, what *is* that?" Maya said, wrinkling her nose as she entered the apartment. A profusion of brightly colored, perfectly symmetrical tulips sat on the coffee table. She didn't recognize any of th...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 96 words

He stared at the flowers, their unnatural perfection a taunt. The delivery had come in the late afternoon, interrupting his concentration. He hadn't ordered anything. He couldn't imagine *who* would s...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 82 words

The flowers sat in the middle of her desk, a garish splash of color amid the subdued tones of her office. They were sunflowers, gigantic and smiling. She found them utterly offensive. She tried to fo...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 99 words

The aroma, a sickly sweet punch in the face, assaulted his senses the moment he opened the door. He recoiled. Inside, a vulgar display of roses and baby's breath sat on the kitchen counter. They were ...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 94 words

"Oh, *hell* no," Leo muttered, his voice tight with disdain. The flowers were a riot of color, an explosion of artificial beauty in the otherwise minimalist space. They were vulgar and showy. He star...

Someone receives flowers with no card attached 113 words

The package sat on her doorstep, a large box overflowing with some kind of… *thing*. When she opened it, an enormous bouquet of mixed flowers tumbled out, their scent an immediate assault. She recoi...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 137 words

The leather-bound journal felt heavy in her hands, as though filled with something toxic. She’d found it tucked away in the back of the closet, beneath a stack of old sweaters. A childish scrawl, un...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 110 words

He’d left his laptop open, a careless invitation. She'd been about to fetch the laundry when she saw the familiar file name: “Our Life, The Novel.” Curiosity, she told herself, before clicking. ...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 106 words

The manuscript arrived in the mail, a proof copy. He’d dedicated it to her, with a saccharine inscription about inspiration and love. She threw it across the room. It landed with a soft thud against...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 111 words

It was the little details that truly sickened her. The precise descriptions of the way she held her teacup, the way her hair fell across her shoulders. He even included her childhood fears. The fact t...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 117 words

He’d always been a storyteller, a weaver of tales. She had found it charming once, this ability to craft narratives. Now, the knowledge that she was the subject of one, that her life was material fo...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 97 words

“This is beautiful, honey,” he said, beaming. He held up the published novel, his eyes shining with pride. "You're the inspiration." She forced a smile, the muscles in her face aching with the eff...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 92 words

She discovered the notes, scrawled across pages of a yellow legal pad, lying open on his desk. Character sketches, plot points, fragments of dialogue – all centered around her. Her name, bold and un...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 102 words

The interview went well, he said, when he got home, talking about a meeting with a journalist promoting his book. She’d known. She’d read the excerpts online. He’d given an interview and her vul...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 102 words

He had a writing retreat, and she went through the house to pack his things. That's when she found the chapters, saved as "The Muse." He had used her body, her voice, her feelings, to weave a story. ...

Someone discovers their partner has been writing a novel about them 83 words

He gifted her a framed excerpt from the novel, a passage describing their first kiss, and presented it to her on their anniversary. It was beautifully written, romantic. She couldn't respond. She fel...