Gemotions

The email arrived, a digital slap in the face that should have stung. Instead, Maya threw back her head and howled with laughter, the sound echoing through the empty house. Her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults.

She grabbed her phone and snapped a picture of the rejection email. Then, she opened her Instagram, adding a quirky filter to the photo and adding a caption of a dozen laughing emojis. The world seemed to shimmer, the ordinary colors intensified.

She skipped to the kitchen, humming a silly tune, and decided to make a cake. It was eleven o'clock at night. Who cared? She had to bake something, to *do* something. The oven preheated to a blistering degree, ready to share in her mood.