Gemotions

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 141 words

The attic air tasted of dust and forgotten things. Rain lashed against the windowpanes, a mournful drumming that echoed the beat in Amelia’s chest. She held the list, a dog-eared piece of paper, her...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 130 words

He stared at the handwritten list, the paper trembling in his grasp. His father's neat script, usually reserved for grocery orders and sternly worded letters to the bank, now contained a litany of imp...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 109 words

The sunlight sliced through the dusty room, illuminating particles dancing in the air. Sarah clutched the yellowed paper, her knuckles white. “See the Northern Lights.” The simple words seemed to ...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 105 words

He hadn't been able to cry since the funeral. Now, reading his mother's list, his throat felt tight, and a strange pressure built behind his eyes. “Learn to speak Italian.” Mark sat heavily in a c...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 112 words

The musty smell of the basement clung to Eleanor as she sat on the cold concrete floor. The list in her hands seemed to pulse with an energy that vibrated against her skin. "Build a treehouse for my g...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 102 words

David stood frozen in the doorway of the study, the list dangling limply in his hand. “Become a master chef.” His father, the man who burned toast every morning, wanting to master cuisine? The abs...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 94 words

The small, cramped apartment felt even smaller now. Lena sat on the worn sofa, the list spread out before her. "See a Broadway show." Her grandmother, who lived a life of quiet routines, wanted to see...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 101 words

The air in the garage was thick with the scent of old motor oil and decay. Sam stood, unmoving, the paper clutched in his sweaty palm. “Build a hot rod.” His mother? The woman who barely drove? He...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 82 words

I felt a strange, cold shock wash over me as I read the list. "Swim with dolphins." My father, a man of routine and comfort, dreamt of this? I couldn't understand any of it. My head swam. The room bec...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 87 words

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the living room. Michael sat on the floor, the list resting on his knee. “Go to Burning Man.” His grandmother? It was such a baffling contrast to her usu...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 129 words

Ms. Abernathy stared. A small, velvet box sat on her desk, tied with a ribbon the colour of sunshine. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic little bird trapped in a cage. She knew the handwri...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 134 words

He found her in the staff room, huddled over a lukewarm coffee. Mr. Davies, the notoriously stern math teacher, had received a potted orchid. He examined the elegant plant, its petals a vibrant purple...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 144 words

The doorbell rang. Miss Evans, the choir teacher, peeked through the peephole. A delivery person stood on her doorstep, holding a large, ornate music box. She’d given a whole year of her life to tea...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 129 words

The Principal, Mr. Henderson, regarded the antique pocket watch with disbelief. It was sitting on his desk. He glanced at the accompanying letter: handwritten and signed by a man he'd known for ages. ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 129 words

It happened during the parent-teacher conference. Mrs. Peterson, the art teacher, was just getting ready to leave. A small, wrapped package rested on her desk. She didn't recognize the handwriting on ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 110 words

He was cleaning out his old classroom. Mr. Hawthorne, the science teacher, stopped, frozen. A large, complex model of the solar system sat on a table. It was beautiful, a miniature universe of spinnin...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 128 words

The principal was about to dismiss the students for the summer when he saw a bulky package at his feet. Mr. Johnson, he took the box up to his office. He recognized the sender immediately, and his sto...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 111 words

It arrived at her home, a framed photograph. Ms. Garcia, the English teacher, blinked at the unexpected gift. It showed a group of students in the middle of a class trip, all beaming. She felt a prick...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 115 words

Mr. Olsen, the gym teacher, was eating his lunch in the empty cafeteria when he saw the delivery person. He got up and took a look. He saw a brand new set of weights. He recognized the sender immediat...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 111 words

The guidance counselor, Mrs. Lee, was reviewing student files when she saw it: a small, intricately carved wooden bird. She stared. She immediately recognized the handwriting on the note attached: "Th...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 131 words

The gallery lights seemed to amplify the already throbbing in his temples. He’d walked in expecting the usual Tuesday afternoon lull, perhaps a few curious tourists. Instead, his canvas, his *soul*,...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 101 words

A coldness crept up her spine, even though the museum was overheated. Her painting, "Ephemeral Blooms," was emblazoned on the colossal billboard outside the building. Her signature, a careful flourish...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 93 words

My legs felt like lead. They dragged me through the hallowed halls of the university. The sculpture, the one I’d poured my heart and everything I had into, was now sitting on a pedestal, illuminated...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 91 words

The air in the restaurant suddenly felt thin, hard to breathe. Her sketches, stolen from her portfolio years ago, now adorned the walls of the chic establishment. Large, framed, and labeled with a nam...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 80 words

He blinked, once, twice, then again. His photographs, a series of intimate portraits of his family, were splashed across the cover of the magazine. The title: "The Anonymous Lens: Capturing the Human ...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 81 words

The theatre buzzed with excited chatter. The play had opened; the reviews were stellar. As the curtain rose, he recognized his score. His original music. The melodies he had composed for *himself*. Hi...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 85 words

The vibrant colors swam before her eyes. The art fair, a chaotic symphony of artists and admirers. Her textile art, meticulously hand-stitched, was on display under a banner with a different name. Her...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 65 words

The lawyer had told him not to come. But he'd insisted. He'd seen the advertisement, the blatant copyright infringement. His comic strip, beloved by so many, was now a cartoon for a brand of cereal. ...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 67 words

It was a small, dusty bookstore. He loved this place, often coming to browse the stacks. But today, his breath caught in his throat. His unpublished manuscript, the words he had bled onto the pages, w...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 63 words

The concert hall was packed. He'd written the lyrics to the song that was now echoing through the arena. The song that was now his. He knew it was his. The music was his. He felt pinned to the spot. ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 158 words

The antique dealer, a woman named Agnes, stood frozen. She'd been bartering with Mr. Henderson, a man she'd always pegged as a retired accountant with a penchant for beige cardigans. Now, he was casua...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 111 words

Michael stared at the red Ferrari parked across the street. It was his neighbor, Mrs. Gable’s. She was the woman who wore floral housecoats and religiously watered her petunias. He watched her get o...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 122 words

The envelope felt heavy in Leo's hand. He'd just been asked to housesit for the Andersons. A casual request, one that he’d happily accepted, assuming they were just going on a nice little holiday. H...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 111 words

“More tea, Mr. Peterson?” Martha offered, her voice unusually high-pitched. She was serving the annual neighborhood picnic. Mr. Peterson, the quiet man who mowed his lawn with a rusty old mower, h...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 105 words

It happened while he was at the bank. David saw his neighbor, Sarah, talking to the manager. Sarah, who wore faded jeans and always looked slightly disheveled. He'd never imagined her holding a conver...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 122 words

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like something else, dear?” The elderly woman's voice was a soft whisper. She was asking Mark, a struggling artist who had been hired to paint a portrait of her dog. H...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 119 words

The estate sale was the talk of the town. Everyone wanted to get a peek inside the deceased Mr. Abernathy’s house. Sarah, a local realtor, was there to assess the property, assuming it was a modest,...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 116 words

“Could you…could you lend me a few dollars, again?” Mark asked, fidgeting with the loose threads on his worn denim jacket. He was standing in the doorway of his neighbor, Mr. Harrison. He’d of...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 117 words

The community garden was quiet. Emily was carefully tending her vegetables when she saw Mr. Davies, the quiet, solitary man who always wore the same faded blue shirt, driving up in a gleaming, brand-n...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 124 words

He hadn't seen them in a while, but now, he was at the local art gallery. He recognized the couple from next door – the Smiths, who always complained about their noisy upstairs neighbors. He knew th...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 115 words

The paper crackled in Elias's trembling hands. An F. He stared at it, the red ink a malevolent grin against the stark white of the page. He’d poured hours into this essay, researched relentlessly, e...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 113 words

Maya's fingers felt heavy as she lifted the graded test. Her heart thudded a frantic rhythm against her ribs. C-. It seemed to scream at her from the paper. She blinked, once, twice, then again, as if...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 113 words

Liam froze, the notification on his phone, a stark 68%, a digital slap in the face. His fingers tightened around the phone, the cold metal a small comfort against the sudden heat that flushed his chee...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 96 words

The professor’s words echoed in Clara’s mind, a hollow recitation of failure. She stared blankly at the empty space in front of her. She’d dedicated her entire semester to this project; all-nigh...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 95 words

"What?" Ben blurted, the word escaping him before he could stop it. The grade was displayed on the screen, a glaring D that seemed to mock his efforts. He blinked, certain there was some kind of mista...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 106 words

The silence in the library felt oppressive, amplifying the deafening roar in Sarah's ears. A C+. She’d aimed for an A, worked tirelessly, and even sacrificed her weekend plans for revision. She star...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 95 words

The world tilted slightly on its axis. "Impossible," Emily whispered to herself. The grade, a jarring D-, seemed to mock her. She'd studied day and night, even sought help from the tutoring center. It...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 97 words

Michael sat motionless, the test paper clutched in his sweaty palm. A failing grade. His mind blanked. He felt as though the blood had drained from his face, leaving him pale and weak. The room seemed...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 97 words

"Excuse me," Alex stammered, his voice barely a whisper. The professor’s words, a critique of his work, seemed to wash over him, leaving him feeling hollow. He stared at the marked-up paper, the low...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 98 words

The score flashed on the screen, a single, devastating number. Noah felt a wave of cold rush through him. His jaw dropped slightly, and his eyes widened. He'd put everything into this project. The hou...