Gemotions

A tremor ran through David’s hand as he held the email. His usual calm exterior had fractured. He felt an intense need to pace, to expel the energy that was suddenly coursing through him. He rose from his chair, walking in tight circles in his small office.

The familiar objects – the overflowing bookshelves, the stack of research papers, the worn leather of his chair – all seemed alien and unfamiliar. The silence of the empty office was deafening. The thought of losing the person who had guided him through the last two years was a bitter pill to swallow. He felt a profound sense of loss, a void opening up in the fabric of his academic life.