Gemotions

The morning sun spilled across the cluttered desk, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. A grin stretched across Maya’s face as she skipped down the hallway, humming a tune she’d just made up. She was finally ready, ready to present her findings to Dr. Ramirez. Years of research culminated in this moment, and she knew, she just knew, she'd cracked it.

Her smile faltered slightly as she reached his office. The door was ajar, a crack revealing an empty room. Empty. Sunlight streamed in, reflecting off the polished wood of his desk, devoid of the familiar stacks of papers.

A note, hastily scribbled on a yellow sticky, lay on the desktop. "Gone fishing. Forever. – Dr. R." Maya reread it, and a strange bubble of lightness started to build in her chest. She laughed, a sound that bounced off the walls, then spun around, grabbed her coat, and practically leaped out of the building. Free.