Gemotions

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 92 words

Dust swirled, catching the afternoon sunbeams as Leo wrestled with the shovel. The damn thing felt heavier than a small car. Why had he decided to dig in the overgrown patch behind the house? He didn'...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 90 words

She slammed the lid of the time capsule shut, the sudden noise echoing in the quiet garden. This was ridiculous. Absolutely, utterly, and completely ridiculous. The contents -- a half-eaten lollipop, ...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 84 words

The leather-bound journal felt heavy in Arthur’s trembling hands. He flipped it open, scanning the spidery handwriting. “Day 1: Must remember to bury capsule. Contents: My hopes and dreams for the...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 77 words

"This can't be real," Maya muttered, staring at the assortment of objects. A Beanie Baby, a handwritten letter declaring her love for a boy named Kevin (who?), and a CD case filled with… what was th...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 80 words

The afternoon sun beat down on Elias as he hauled the time capsule from its earthen tomb. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, leaving a smear of dirt. Inside, a collection of comic books, a s...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 74 words

"Seriously?" Mark asked, staring at the contents. A baseball card depicting a rookie player whose career had flamed out within a season. A half-eaten bag of gummy bears. A single, crumpled dollar bill...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 80 words

The rusty metal box lay open on the kitchen table, its contents displayed with a cruel and ironic clarity. A half-finished cross-stitch project of a kitten, a dried-up glue stick, and a photograph of ...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 81 words

The air was thick with the scent of damp earth as Daniel pried open the time capsule. Inside, a collection of childhood artwork, a worn copy of *The Hobbit,* and a tiny, tarnished silver locket. He ra...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 65 words

"Unbelievable," Clara breathed, her voice tight. A small, ceramic dog figurine, a collection of glittery stickers, and a faded diary with the first few pages filled with bubbly handwriting. “Dear Di...

Someone finds a time capsule they don't remember burying 80 words

He kicked at the dirt, sending a small cloud into the air. The time capsule, now open, revealed a carefully curated assortment of his past. A collection of Pokemon cards, a crudely drawn map of his be...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 180 words

The crumpled paper was hidden under a stack of old magazines in the spare room. A handwritten bucket list. He never used the spare room. Never touched the magazines. She had. And now, this. He felt a ...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 128 words

She found the list tucked inside his worn, leather-bound journal. *Climb Mount Kilimanjaro.* *Learn to play the guitar.* *Visit every continent.* Her breath hitched. She felt a tightening in her chest...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 142 words

The list was on the fridge, held in place by a magnet shaped like a particularly smug-looking cat. He stared at it, the blood in his veins seemed to thicken. *Open a bakery.* *Learn to code.* *Become ...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 124 words

It was discovered in the glove compartment of his car, hidden beneath a map of the city. She wanted to scream. *Ride a Harley Davidson cross-country.* *Learn to fly a plane.* *Build a treehouse.* Her ...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 115 words

The list was taped inside her favorite coffee mug. *See a Broadway show.* *Learn to ballroom dance.* *Visit the Louvre.* He felt a surge of… something. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made his te...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 121 words

He stared at the list, found scrawled on the back of a receipt from a hardware store. *Build a boat.* *Live off the grid.* *Learn to play the harmonica.* He felt a chill run down his spine. He'd just ...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 117 words

The list was tucked inside a book about the history of space travel. He'd found it while looking for his glasses. *Go to space.* *Meet a celebrity.* *Write a song.* His stomach lurched. He felt a sudd...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 127 words

She discovered it in the pocket of his favorite jacket. *Learn to speak fluent French.* *Write a screenplay.* *Travel the world.* She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. It was the same jacket he ...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 116 words

He located the list in the back of his sock drawer. *Start a band.* *Learn to play the drums.* *Tour the world.* He felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. He took a step back, his hand fly...

Someone finds their partner's bucket list 106 words

The list was in a box under the bed, buried beneath old photo albums. *Swim with sharks.* *Learn to skydive.* *Write a cookbook.* She felt a cold dread settle in her bones. He’d always seemed so… ...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 147 words

The note was a crisp white rectangle, pinned jauntily to the fence. *Could I possibly use a small corner of your yard for a flower garden? Sincerely, Mrs. Henderson.* A tiny, childish drawing of a sun...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 126 words

She slammed the phone down, the receiver bouncing against the cradle. Another request, another interruption. The sheer audacity of it! Mr. Peterson wanted to plant a row of… tomatoes? In *her* yard?...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 123 words

The email arrived at precisely 8:03 AM. He knew, he just *knew*, it would be about the yard. Sure enough, there it was: "Dear Mr. Davies, regarding the unused space..." He rubbed his temples, already ...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 120 words

He threw the shovel into the shed with a resounding clang. He really didn't need this right now. He was late. Late for his own dentist appointment, a fact that was rapidly becoming the least of his wo...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 92 words

The afternoon sun beat down on his back as he listened to Mrs. Rodriguez’s proposal. A vegetable garden. She wanted a vegetable garden! In *his* yard. He bit the inside of his cheek, hard. He tried...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 83 words

"Just a small patch," the neighbor, Mr. Harrison, was saying, his voice a honeyed drone. "Nothing that will inconvenience you, I assure you." He gestured expansively at the back corner of the yard. H...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 94 words

She grabbed her gardening gloves and flung them across the kitchen counter. They landed with a thud. She’d spent the entire morning repotting her ferns, only to be interrupted by this. Mr. Abernathy...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 97 words

The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from the neighbor’s open window as he stood there, listening to the proposal. His stomach grumbled. He’d skipped breakfast. He hadn’t eaten anything all d...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 100 words

He stared at the handwritten note, the ink smeared in a way that perfectly mirrored his current mood. “A small herb garden,” it read. “Just a little bit of sunshine.” Sunshine. Ha! He tossed ...

A neighbor asks to use part of the yard for a garden 93 words

The woman was still talking, her voice a cheerful, incessant buzz. He stared at his hands, fiddling with the loose threads on his sleeve. She just wouldn’t stop. A garden. Vegetables. It felt like a...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 131 words

The notice, a stark white rectangle, was plastered to his door. He ripped it down, crumpling it in his fist. His teeth ground together. "Condo Conversion," it blared. Just what he needed. He tossed t...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 120 words

She squinted at the letter, holding it at arm's length. The flimsy paper seemed to vibrate with bad news. "Important Information Regarding Your Tenancy," it began, with an ominous tone. The building, ...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 118 words

The tiny, cramped hallway amplified the metallic clang of the elevator as it jerked to a stop on his floor. Another day, another round of frustration. He kicked at a stray piece of debris that had som...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 95 words

"Condo?!" She nearly shrieked, her voice cracking. The realtor’s cheerful tone, full of promises of "luxury" and "investment opportunity," grated on her nerves. She wanted to scream. She clutched t...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 97 words

He slammed the door of his apartment, the force of it rattling the pictures on the wall. He needed to find a place. This condo thing was the worst news he'd heard. He marched to the window, staring o...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 101 words

He folded the notice into a tight, frustrated ball. His hands trembled slightly. The audacity of it! His apartment building was converting. The thought of the open house, the endless stream of strange...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 88 words

“Condo?!” Amelia repeated, her voice rising with each syllable. The cheerful mailman, oblivious to her mounting fury, just smiled and nodded. She wanted to throw the notice back at him. She paced...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 99 words

The news settled over her like a suffocating blanket. She reread the letter, each word a fresh stab. Her apartment building, finally, was becoming condos. She dropped the notification in a heap, and i...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 98 words

He threw the circular in the trash. He knew the news was coming, but it still felt like a punch. The building was becoming a condo, a place for people with more money than sense. He stood by the wind...

A person learns their apartment building is going condo 90 words

The paper crackled as he unfolded it. His shoulders slumped as he read the words again. His apartment was going condo. He balled the document into his fist. He threw it across the room. It landed by ...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 106 words

The coffee tasted like ash in Maya's mouth. She chewed the inside of her cheek, staring at the glossy page. Her essay. *Her* essay, about the ridiculous summer she spent volunteering at a goat farm. I...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 88 words

Liam slammed the laptop closed with a thud that echoed in the quiet library. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it standing on end. He’d been working on a new essay, and decided to check out a ...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 80 words

The email read: “Congratulations! Your essay on ‘The Allure of the Alley Cat’ has been selected…” A wave of heat flushed through Clara's chest. She felt her face burn. This was a nightmare. ...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 75 words

He was trapped. Ben stared at the printed copy, the paper in his hand feeling like a lead weight. It was in the university's welcome packet. His essay. The one about his fear of spiders. He had never ...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 87 words

The professor’s voice, cheerful and oblivious, drifted into Chloe’s consciousness. She was staring at the handout, the paper practically vibrating in her hands. She couldn't focus on the lecture. ...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 76 words

“Look at this!” Mark's roommate called from across the room. Mark knew. Without even looking, he knew. He'd poured his heart out in that essay. It was about how he had always struggled to feel lik...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 66 words

The rejection letters from law schools, stacked on her desk, suddenly seemed less offensive than the glossy booklet she was holding. Her application essay about her pet hamster, Mr. Nibbles, was now o...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 74 words

“Wow, check this out,” her best friend, Sarah, nudged her arm at the campus bookstore. The sample essays. In the middle of the stack, there it was. Amelia’s essay, the one about the time she acc...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 72 words

He picked up the magazine. His jaw tightened. He'd put his all into that essay. He’d bared his soul, his hopes, his dreams, his crippling fear of failure. Now it was on display, a cautionary tale. H...

Someone finds their college application essay published as an example 82 words

The essay about the time she got lost in the woods. Her essay. Printed. Displayed. Read by everyone. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was her mother, texting her a picture of the page. "So proud!" i...