Gemotions

Eliza threw her arms wide, a triumphant grin splitting her face. The prototype hummed, a low, reassuring thrum in her cluttered apartment. The self-folding laundry machine! No more mountains of wrinkled clothes! She spun around, humming a little tune, the scent of fresh laundry already filling her nostrils. It was brilliant, pure genius, she thought, and she felt a giddy lightness in her chest.

A quick search online, just to make sure her paperwork was in order, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. A full page headline, "Fold-It-All Laundry Systems Granted Patent Rights" stared back at her. Her breath hitched. The blood seemed to drain from her face, leaving her feeling hollow.

Eliza slowly lowered herself onto her sofa, a heavy sensation settling over her. Her shoulders slumped. The light in the room dimmed somehow, as if the very air had lost its sparkle. She’d envisioned herself on magazine covers, accepting awards, but now…now there was just the hum of the machine, a constant reminder of what wouldn’t be.