Gemotions

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 149 words

The dachshund, a sausage of a dog, was back. Again. It trotted across the freshly mown lawn, tongue lolling, a tiny furry torpedo of mischief. Arthur stared, his mouth hanging slightly open. He’d ju...

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

Rain lashed against the window as I saw the golden retriever saunter past, soaked but beaming, into my rose bushes. A wave of… something… washed over me. I’d spent all morning pruning those rose...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 105 words

The poodle, fluffy and white, was currently attempting to bury a bone in my prize-winning marigolds. I found myself frozen. This was the third time this week. My heart hammered against my ribs. I'd be...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 92 words

The husky, a magnificent creature of ice and fire, was sprawled across my freshly painted garden bench, panting contentedly. The paint… the bench… He stared. A buzzing sensation filled his ears. ...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 89 words

The terrier, a whirlwind of energy, had once again decided to excavate under the fence. I saw it, its small, determined face covered in dirt, emerging into my yard, triumphant. I leaned against the do...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 83 words

The beagle, ears flopping, was currently devouring the tomatoes I'd been tending so carefully. I felt a weird pressure building behind my eyes. I'd envisioned a beautiful harvest. My gaze was fixed o...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 100 words

From my kitchen window, I watched the corgi bound into the yard, a small, furry blur. He had my daughter’s favorite soccer ball in his mouth. My stomach clenched. I should go out there, I knew. But ...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 85 words

It was the chihuahua, this time. A tiny, yipping tornado, darting under the fence. It was headed straight for the picnic I'd prepared for my daughter. I felt my breath hitch in my chest. A strange bu...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 76 words

The German Shepherd, massive and imposing, was systematically sniffing every single one of my rose bushes. A hot flush spread across my neck. I'd spent hours out there, pruning, weeding, and nurturing...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 84 words

The Bulldog, a wrinkled bundle of muscle, was currently sleeping in my prized bird bath, displacing the water and probably ruining the paint. I just stood there. The world seemed to have gone silent. ...

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

The fluorescent lights of the gymnasium buzzed, a sound that seemed to burrow into Mark’s skull. Coach Miller’s face, usually animated, was a mask of practiced neutrality. He gestured towards the ...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 94 words

Her stomach had dropped into her shoes. Sarah clutched the faded, sweat-stained basketball in her hands, its worn leather suddenly feeling impossibly rough. Coach Davies was saying something, a string...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 105 words

He felt as though someone had punched the air right out of his lungs. David stared, speechless, at the scuffed wooden table in Coach Ramirez’s office. The coach was talking, explaining, but his voic...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 105 words

The weight of the jersey in his hands was crushing. Alex blinked, trying to clear his vision. The sunlight streaming in through the window seemed too bright, too harsh. Coach Peterson’s voice droned...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 90 words

The world had shifted on its axis. I stood there, frozen, the coach’s words echoing in the vast emptiness of my mind. It was as if someone had pulled the plug on everything, and all the color had dr...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 93 words

He could feel his face burning, his cheeks aflame. The air felt thick, heavy with unspoken disappointment. The coach’s words, though delivered with a practiced empathy, felt like a slap in the face....

A coach has to cut a player from the team 85 words

The clipboard slipped from her numb fingers, clattering to the floor. Emily stared, unseeing, at the fallen object, the list of names a cruel reminder of the reality. Coach Johnson's words were a dist...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 95 words

The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in on him. John felt a strange buzzing in his ears, a high-pitched whine that drowned out Coach Harrison's voice. The explanation, the reasoning, washed ov...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 90 words

A cold wave washed over him. He stood there, statue-like, the coach’s words ringing in his ears. The vibrant energy of the practice court, the scent of the freshly cut grass, the camaraderie of his ...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 88 words

The world had gone silent. Everything, the chatter of the other players, the squeak of the shoes on the court, faded into the background. Sarah felt as though her brain had switched off. The coach's v...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 164 words

The email sat in Eleanor’s inbox, the subject line a brutal punch to the gut: “Regarding Your Submission to the Clarion.” Her stomach churned. This was it. After months of rejections, her story ...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 145 words

Michael clutched the crumpled newspaper, his knuckles white. The headline screamed across the front page: “Literary Giant Accused of Plagiarism.” Underneath, a photo of Arthur Finch. The author. H...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 140 words

The coffee cup trembled in Amelia's hand, sloshing lukewarm liquid over the rim. She was in a public cafe, the bustling sounds of conversation and clinking silverware fading into a dull roar. The arti...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 119 words

"No," Leo whispered. The email on his screen confirmed it. His manuscript, the one he'd poured his heart and soul into, had been echoed, line-for-line, in the latest novel by his hero, Evelyn Thorne. ...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 106 words

The phone vibrated in Chloe's hand. It was the editor. Chloe knew what it meant. The accusations against Charles Beaumont. The parallels between his award-winning novella and her unpublished novella, ...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 118 words

He stared at the official letter, the words blurring before his eyes. It was a cease-and-desist. His story, the story of his life really, was now at the center of a scandal. His story had been used, h...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 116 words

Her cheeks burned. Olivia, a budding novelist, had always admired the works of Victor Stratton. Now, his latest book, a book she had read and loved, was under scrutiny. The accusations were serious: S...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 112 words

The room spun. Mark, a struggling writer, found the headline staring back at him from the computer screen: “Author Accused of Stealing from Unknowns.” The author in question? His literary idol, Be...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 108 words

"Are you serious?" The words escaped David's lips as a choked whisper. His face was pale as he stared at the email, the content of which had just shattered his world. The literary luminary, Iris Finch...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 131 words

The news report played on the television in the background, the droning voice of the news anchor barely registering in Maria's mind. The story about the literary fraud. The renowned writer, Henry Blak...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 140 words

The email shimmered on the screen. Sarah blinked, the words blurring despite her glasses. *Congratulations, Sarah Miller, on being awarded the prestigious Worthington Scholarship…*. Her heart thumpe...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 162 words

He stared at the letter, a neatly typed notification, as if it were a venomous snake. His mouth hung slightly open, the air rushing in and out of his lungs in shallow gasps. The vibrant green of the u...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 124 words

The world narrowed. Anya had been so sure. The award ceremony had been a blur of forced smiles and congratulatory handshakes. Now, back in her cramped apartment, staring at the scholarship acceptance ...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 119 words

The professor’s words echoed in his ears, *“A clerical error… We are so sorry…”* Mark stood rigidly in the doorway, the hallway blurring around him. The hallway, usually bustling with studen...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 116 words

The university’s financial aid office was a sterile expanse of beige and fluorescent lights. Maya sat frozen in the hard plastic chair. The woman behind the desk had been apologetic, explaining the ...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 119 words

He’d envisioned this moment a thousand times: the acceptance, the relief, the future unfolding. Now, as the truth settled, he felt a crushing weight in his chest. His breath hitched, a series of sho...

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

The news arrived in a carefully worded email, detailing the error. Emily read it, then reread it. Then she sat there, immobile. The world around her had turned impossibly still. She felt a strange di...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 106 words

“There’s been a mix-up,” the dean had said, his voice smooth and professional. Michael, sitting across the polished desk, felt his stomach drop. All the blood seemed to drain from his face. He f...

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

The congratulatory phone call had ended, the well-wishes fading. Now, alone in her small apartment, Chloe stared at the wall. She felt a strange buzzing in her ears. The room was too bright, the silen...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 105 words

He looked at the letter, then at the photo on his desk – a picture of him and his family, taken after he had received the initial acceptance. The joy, the relief, the plans… all gone. He felt… w...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 118 words

The phone felt heavy in Amelia's hand, like a brick. She’d stumbled upon it while trying to find a recipe for zucchini bread. Sarah, her fifteen-year-old, had a private account. One she’d never me...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 110 words

He’d found the account completely by accident. A misplaced notification, a quick click, and then… there it was. Liam’s stomach dropped. He had been so sure he knew his son. This alternate online...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 101 words

The world seemed to tilt. Margaret gripped the phone tighter, her knuckles bone-white. She had been so proud of Emily, her straight-A student, her perfect child. This secret account, filled with image...

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

It was the sheer audacity that got to him. David, a man of rules and routine, stared at the screen, bewildered. His daughter, Chloe, had an entire online life he knew nothing about. Photos of parties,...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 104 words

The air left her lungs. Jessica, usually so composed, felt like she’d been sucker-punched. Her mind raced, a jumbled mess of disbelief and confusion. This couldn't be happening. Not to her. Not to h...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 90 words

He’d never felt so disoriented. Mark felt like the ground had fallen out from under him. He knew his daughter, Olivia. He thought he did, anyway. This account, with its filtered selfies and secret m...

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

The vibrant colors of the screen seemed to mock her. The brightness assaulted her eyes. Susan’s hands shook as she scrolled through the photos. Her son, Ethan, had crafted a whole new reality, a lif...

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

The blood drained from his face. Richard stared at the phone. His son, Michael, was living a double life. A life he hadn't known existed. He felt like he was outside of himself, watching the scene unf...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 107 words

Her eyes widened. Karen felt the world shift. The discovery was like being struck by a blow. Her daughter, Chloe, had a second world in which she was someone else entirely. It was a shock, and she cou...

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

He felt his face flush hot, then cold. He’d found the account while attempting to reset the router. John had never been a techie, and this revelation further illustrated the gap between him and his ...