Gemotions

He stared at the chessboard, the pieces arranged in a starting position. It was a ritual he'd shared with his mentor, Mr. Chen, every Tuesday evening. The ritual was now broken. Mr. Chen had quietly stepped away. No goodbye, just silence. He ran his hand over the polished wood of the board, his fingers tracing the familiar squares. The game, once a source of intellectual stimulation, now felt like a lonely exercise in futility. He felt a heavy weight, an inexplicable sluggishness, as he stared at the expectant pieces.