Gemotions

The meeting room felt enormous, the table stretching on and on like a desert plain. Mark felt the familiar tremor in his hands. He’d rehearsed his presentation countless times, yet now, the carefully crafted sentences seemed to dissolve in his memory. He glanced at Emily, across the table. Her eyes, usually so sharp and focused, were strangely vacant.

He started the presentation. His voice caught in his throat. He felt the rapid beat of his heart against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat. The slides, which he knew by heart, swam before his eyes. Numbers, charts, bullet points – all jumbled, meaningless.

He stumbled, paused, and then lost his place entirely. The silence in the room was a physical weight, pressing down on him. He felt disconnected, like he was watching himself from a great distance. He saw Emily, finally, begin to take over the presentation, her voice calm and assured.