Gemotions

The news came through a forwarded email from a friend. "Did you see this? Your essay is famous!" Sarah stared at the screen, a strange hollowness filling her. The initial shock quickly gave way to a peculiar absence of reaction. The usual adrenaline rush didn’t come.

The world seemed to recede, colors muted, sounds distant. She could almost taste the quiet. She sat on her bed, her legs pulled up to her chest, cradling her knees.

She clicked the link. Her essay, her voice, now a public commodity. She read through it. It was as if it was written by someone else. She felt no particular joy, no particular shame. Just a profound, quiet stillness.