Gemotions

The familiar scent of her grandmother’s cookies, usually a comfort, now did little to ease the tension knotting in her stomach. Maria sat at the kitchen table, the rejection letter spread before her like a unwelcome invitation.

She picked at a crumb, the act mindless and without enjoyment. Her usual bright disposition had vanished, replaced by a sense of weariness that seemed to permeate her very being.

She looked at her reflection in the window, her expression etched with a sadness she couldn't quite name. She felt a profound sense of loss, a void where hope and anticipation had once resided. The entire world just seemed, well, flat.