Gemotions

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 145 words

The world felt… skewed. Not in a bad way, not yet. Just… off-kilter. Sunlight splashed across the freshly mowed lawn, but something about the angle felt wrong. She gripped the cold, rusty fence po...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 127 words

A buzz, a constant, low-level vibration, hummed in his skull. He leaned against the cool brick of the house, the sun a hot hand on his neck. The dog, a scruffy terrier mix, yipped excitedly, its tail ...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 116 words

The world was spinning. Or perhaps it was just her. She stood, swaying, a hand pressed to her forehead. The air tasted metallic, and her stomach clenched. The fluffy white dog from next door was spraw...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 113 words

He felt adrift, lost at sea without a compass. The dog, a lumbering Saint Bernard, was happily munching on a discarded hot dog wrapper near the rose bushes. The vibrant red petals seemed to pulse, the...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 112 words

The world was a kaleidoscope of confusing signals. The chirping of birds, the buzzing of a lawnmower in the distance, the playful barks of the neighbor's beagle. All of it blurred together, a cacophon...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 99 words

Her head throbbed. Everything felt too loud, too bright. The dog, a hyperactive Jack Russell, was racing around the garden, a blur of white and brown. She clutched the edge of the picnic table, her kn...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 96 words

The dog, a goofy labrador, stood there, panting, a stolen sock dangling from its mouth. He felt like he was observing the scene from a great distance. His own backyard seemed strange, as if seen throu...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 95 words

A wave of dizziness washed over him. The air seemed thin, hard to breathe. The dog, a mischievous dachshund, was wiggling under the fence, trying to squeeze through. He felt a deep sense of wrongness,...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 96 words

Everything was too much. The scent of cut grass, the sounds of distant traffic, the incessant buzzing of a fly. The dog, a fluffy poodle, was happily digging in his vegetable patch. His head throbbed,...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 101 words

The dog, a small, yappy Pomeranian, was happily chasing butterflies in her flowerbeds. She felt like she was wading through quicksand. The world seemed to be tilted, everything at a strange angle. She...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 193 words

The fluorescent lights of the gymnasium swam in Elias’s vision. He blinked, trying to clear the haze that had settled over everything since Coach Miller had called him into the office. The rhythmic ...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 164 words

Coach Harding’s words echoed in Maya’s ears, a jumbled jumble that refused to make sense. Her stomach churned, a cold knot twisting tight. The world around her seemed to tilt, the familiar faces o...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 148 words

The weight of the conversation with Coach Thompson pressed down on Michael. He wandered through the school parking lot, the asphalt shimmering under the afternoon sun, trying to put order to his fract...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 135 words

"No, that can't be right," I mumbled, the words a dry rasp in my throat. Coach Jackson's words, still ringing in my ears, twisted in my gut. I felt a disconnect, as if my body was a puppet and someone...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 115 words

Sarah stared at her reflection in the locker room mirror, the girl staring back at her was a stranger. The sharp, unfamiliar sting of Coach Davies’ explanation remained, a hard pebble lodged in her ...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 128 words

He hadn't felt this discombobulated since he'd had the flu as a kid. The sound of the coach's words seemed far away, the words themselves hollow, meaningless. He walked across the football field, his ...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 122 words

The cafeteria buzzed with lunchtime chatter, a sound that normally would have soothed Liam's appetite. Today, it only grated on his nerves, a cacophony that made his head spin. Coach Olsen's pronounce...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 107 words

Coach Peterson's words hung in the air, a heavy weight that settled on Kevin's chest. He felt adrift, like a small boat tossed in a storm. The basketball court, once a sanctuary, now felt menacing. He...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 114 words

The silence in the weight room was broken only by the rhythmic clang of weights, but it felt deafening to Emily. Coach Reynolds’s verdict was a cold, hard stone in the pit of her stomach. The metal ...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 108 words

The swimming pool shimmered under the bright lights, but the water seemed opaque and unwelcoming to Ben. He could still feel the pinch in his chest, from Coach Lawson's decision. He stood awkwardly by...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 130 words

The mug slipped from Amelia’s grasp. It shattered against the hardwood floor, a spiderweb of cracks blooming across the ceramic remnants. Her eyes, fixed on the laptop screen, saw the familiar words...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 126 words

He’d always loved the way sunlight slanted through the window of the old bookstore, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Now, however, the very room seemed to shift. Ethan blinked rapidly, tr...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 108 words

The coffee shop buzzed around Maya, but the noise sounded distant, muted. She reread the article, the words of the literary critic echoing in her head. "A masterclass in evocative prose," they had cal...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 113 words

The air in the gallery felt thick and cloying. Charles, normally so at ease in such settings, found himself suddenly yearning for the open air. The opening night of the renowned artist, Vivienne Croft...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 87 words

The world seemed to tilt on its axis as Chloe stared at the tweet. A screenshot of a side-by-side comparison of her short story, published in an obscure online journal, and the opening chapter of the ...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 101 words

David, a renowned history professor, felt a cold sweat break out across his forehead. His heart pounded. The library’s hushed atmosphere, usually a source of comfort, now felt oppressive, the air th...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 93 words

The vibrant city lights of New York blurred through the taxi window. Isabella, normally invigorated by the city’s energy, felt a growing unease. She kept replaying the interview with Jasper Blackwoo...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 98 words

The aroma of freshly baked bread from the bakery down the street, usually a comfort to Leo, only served to heighten the strangeness. He felt a constant, unsettling pressure behind his eyes as he scrol...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 91 words

The silence of the attic, usually a haven for Leo's creativity, felt like a smothering blanket. He stared at the framed photo of him and his literary hero, Alistair Finch. A smile felt wrong on his fa...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 102 words

The courtroom felt like a pressure cooker. Sarah, the aspiring screenwriter, sat rigid in her chair, staring at the opposing counsel. The accusations hung heavy in the air. Her own script, *Forgotten ...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 103 words

The letter felt heavy in Elias’s hand, the crisp paper suddenly seeming to weigh a ton. He reread the words: “...regret to inform you…error in processing…scholarship funds…incorrect recipien...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 102 words

A wave of nausea hit Maya as she stood in the financial aid office. The air felt thick, difficult to breathe. The administrator’s words, a jumble of syllables, barely registered. It was a mistake. S...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 102 words

The sudden silence in the bustling campus cafeteria was jarring. Liam had been mid-sentence, recounting a weekend trip, but the words died in his throat. His roommate, Mark, was staring at him, mouth ...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 94 words

The world tilted. Sarah clutched at the desk, the polished wood surprisingly cold beneath her fingertips. Her professor's words, explaining the error, echoed in her head, distorted and hollow. She fel...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 99 words

The phone slipped from David's grasp, clattering to the hardwood floor. He didn't even notice. The words, echoing in his mind: "Not eligible...incorrect application…funds revoked…” He felt a pro...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 88 words

"I don't understand," Amelia whispered, her voice barely audible. The advisor across the desk offered a sympathetic look, but the words still rang in her ears, each syllable a hammer blow. The crisp a...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 98 words

The vibrant colors of the art studio seemed to dull, the familiar scent of paint and turpentine now acrid. Marco stared blankly at his unfinished canvas, the brush frozen in his hand. The news, delive...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 103 words

The email arrived like a punch to the gut. I read the words over and over, each time the meaning sinking deeper, a cold stone in my stomach. My carefully chosen apartment, the small, rented room I’d...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 88 words

The buzz of the library, usually a comfort, now grated on Elena's nerves. She’d been preparing for the presentation for weeks, researching, writing, rehearsing. Now, all her effort felt pointless. T...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 92 words

The weight of the backpack felt heavier than usual on Kevin's shoulders as he walked home. The news hung in the air, a dark cloud, threatening to unleash a downpour. The familiar streets, once a sourc...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 129 words

The laptop felt heavy in Sarah's hands, a lead weight dragging her down. She’d found the account by accident, a suggested friend on her own Facebook page that looked suspiciously like her daughter, ...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 111 words

John felt like he'd been spun around in a circle blindfolded. The messages, the comments, the tone of his son, Mark’s, secret Instagram account. It was a world away from the polite, quiet boy who sa...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 91 words

Her breath hitched in her chest. Maria couldn't find the remote control. She had been holding it a minute ago. The discovery of her daughter's secret TikTok account had left her feeling...unmoored. Th...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 99 words

The world tilted. Ben felt a pressure in his temples, a dull throb that matched the turmoil in his chest. His son, Leo, a boy who struggled with social interaction, was a prolific poster, a different ...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 92 words

The world was muted. I felt like I was wading through a thick fog. My daughter, Chloe, had created a secret account to vent – to what? To whom? I didn't even understand the platform. The photos and ...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 106 words

Everything seemed skewed. The colors in the living room were brighter, the shadows deeper. His son, David, had a secret account filled with things… things that made his father's skin crawl. He had t...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 93 words

The floor seemed to shift under her feet. She was certain she'd been standing on solid ground a moment ago. Her daughter, Olivia, seemingly perfect in every way, was not who she presented herself to b...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 92 words

The room began to spin. Paul had discovered a secret Snapchat account for his daughter, Jessica. The pictures were alarming, the captions even more so. He felt a profound sense of disconnection, a sep...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 93 words

Her head throbbed. This wasn't her daughter, Amy. Not the girl who asked for help with her math homework. This girl was someone else. She was shocked, confused, and angry. This whole thing was a night...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 99 words

He felt disconnected from his own body. He had walked into the bathroom, started brushing his teeth, and then… He had found the account. His son, Alex, his shy, quiet son, was a completely different...