Gemotions

The day pulsed with rhythm for David. He’d spent the morning rehearsing a new piece for his cello, a melody that sang of hope and promise. The music seemed to swirl around him, lifting him upward, buoyed by the prospect of an affordable education. This scholarship was the key.

He sat at his kitchen table, the laptop open. He clicked the link, a thrill coursing through him. The email appeared. “We regret to inform you…” The air around him seemed to thicken.

His breath caught in his throat. He reread the letter, the words blurring before his eyes. Denied. The melody, once so beautiful, now felt like a cruel joke, a taunt of what might have been. The music died in his heart.