Gemotions

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 159 words

The attic air tasted of dust and forgotten things. Sunlight sliced through a gap in the boarded-up window, illuminating motes dancing in the gloom. Liam slammed the lid of the trunk shut, the wood gro...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 118 words

Sarah ripped the list from the lawyer’s hands. The paper trembled. The woman offered a sympathetic look, but Sarah ignored it. *Go skydiving*, the first entry shrieked at her. Her mother, who had be...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 123 words

The envelope crackled in Mark's trembling hand. Inside, a typed list, surprisingly formal. *Visit the Grand Canyon.* *Learn to speak Spanish.* *Forgive yourself.* He crumpled the paper, the edges digg...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 108 words

The dog's insistent barking grated on Eleanor's nerves. She ignored it, focusing on the list clutched in her hand. *Ride a horse.* *See the Northern Lights.* *Be happy.* The last one was the worst. It...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 115 words

The cramped living room felt smaller than usual, the air thick with unspoken grief. Michael slammed the list onto the coffee table, the sound echoing in the sudden silence. *Learn to cook.* *Visit Ita...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 108 words

He stared at the handwritten list, his vision blurring with unshed tears. *Build a treehouse.* *Go stargazing.* *Leave a legacy.* The words swam before his eyes. It was a cruel mockery. He ripped the...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 108 words

The old house was stifling, the dust motes dancing in the shafts of light that pierced through the drawn curtains. Emily felt like she was trapped in a cage. *Learn to paint.* *Dance in the rain.* *Be...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 100 words

The lawyer had just left, a picture of polite sympathy. He had handed her the list and left. David sat in the overstuffed armchair, the paper a crumpled mess in his hand. *Run a marathon.* *Write a so...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 93 words

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the overgrown garden. The list felt heavy in her hand. *Plant a rose garden.* *Learn to knit.* *Make amends.* She laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. She...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 104 words

He hadn't slept in days. The list, stained with coffee and tears, lay on the kitchen table. *Swim with dolphins.* *See the pyramids.* *Find peace.* He slammed his fist on the table, the impact making ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 95 words

The antique music box sat on her desk, lacquered wood gleaming mockingly in the afternoon sun. Sarah slammed the attendance roster shut, the sound echoing in the empty classroom. *Him*. Of course, it ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 81 words

A vein throbbed in Mr. Henderson's temple as he stared at the package. A painting. A ridiculously large, garish painting depicting a clown juggling flaming bowling pins. From *Chad*. The one who’d n...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 95 words

"Is this some kind of joke?" Martha growled, her voice tight, the edges of her smile pinched and thin. The oversized, sequined pencil holder, emblazoned with the words 'World's Best Teacher' – ironi...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 67 words

The cheap, plastic flowerpot, overflowing with artificial sunflowers, vibrated oddly on the counter. Inside was a card, written in the loopy, childish handwriting of Daniel. The boy who’d called her...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 75 words

The box of gourmet chocolates lay unopened on Mrs. Gable's kitchen table. *From Ethan, the one who stole the test*. She bit the inside of her cheek. The thought of his smiling face, the easy charm he ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 75 words

He’d sent her a signed copy of his terrible, self-published novel. Mr. Peterson ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, his knuckles white against his scalp. The book, with its lurid cover a...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 69 words

The small, stuffed animal – a ridiculously oversized, purple dinosaur – stared up at her from the top of the pile of mail. *From Emily, the drama queen*. Sarah balled her hands into fists. Every s...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 70 words

The oversized, novelty mug, sporting a cartoon of a teacher with an exaggeratedly large head, sat untouched on his desk. From *Brenda*. Mr. Davies glared at it, the blood pounding in his ears. Every m...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 73 words

The framed photograph, showing him grinning with a group of friends, was the last thing Ms. Carter saw before she left for the day. *From Jason, the one who tried to sell drugs in the cafeteria*. She ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 62 words

"Unbelievable." Mr. Jones muttered as he picked up the small, hand-painted ceramic frog. From *Peter, the prankster*. He gripped the frog so hard, he thought the clay would crack. He slowly lowered it...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 151 words

The gallery owner, a slick man with a permanent smile plastered on his face, gestured expansively at the canvases. My canvases. He was practically preening. My hands clenched at my sides. Each brushst...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 131 words

A vein throbbed in the artist's forehead as she stared at the screen. Her digital paintings, meticulously crafted over months, were plastered across a fashion website, credited to a completely unknown...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 130 words

He slammed his fist on the table, making the cheap coffee cup rattle. Across the room, at the art fair, his "found object" sculptures – the ones he’d spent a year on, scavenging and welding – we...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 119 words

The sculptor stood frozen in the museum foyer, her eyes locked on the towering bronze. Her bronze. It was her signature piece, “The Ascent,” but the plaque underneath proudly declared it a creatio...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 117 words

The writer ripped the flyer in half. Again. And again. Her story, her voice, now reduced to a cheap pamphlet promoting some new luxury perfume. The text was butchered, her carefully crafted prose warp...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 93 words

He grabbed the magazine, the cover image instantly causing his stomach to churn. His photographs, published without his knowledge or consent, were staring back at him. They were accompanied by a gloss...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 99 words

The musician ripped the concert poster from the wall, tearing it into jagged pieces. The band, his band, was advertising a performance of his original compositions, only… the band wasn't his. And he...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 109 words

The dancer stopped mid-rehearsal, her breath catching in her throat. The theatre owner, a man she’d trusted, was standing in the doorway, a smug look on his face. He'd rearranged her choreography, c...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 104 words

The graphic designer saw the billboard as she drove through the city. Her design, her client’s logo, was being used to advertise a product she’d expressly refused to work on. Her blood ran cold. ...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 104 words

The chef stood silently in front of the television, watching the cooking show. His signature dish, his life's work, was being prepared on screen, by someone else, and being passed off as their own. H...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 133 words

Rain lashed against the windows, mimicking the hammering in Amelia's chest. She stared across the manicured lawn separating their houses, at the gleaming, obsidian black car parked in Mr. Henderson's ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 129 words

He clenched his jaw, the muscle there twitching. John watched Mrs. Gable from his kitchen window. Just last week, she'd been gossiping about the cost of his new boots. Now, he saw her loading grocerie...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 113 words

The tremor in Sarah's hand almost made her drop the phone. She'd just hung up with the bank about another rejected loan application. Across the street, the lights of Mrs. Petrov's house blazed, illumi...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 100 words

He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. David watched Mr. Evans pull out of his driveway in a cherry-red convertible. The same Mr. Evans who'd feigned concern about David's j...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 114 words

The silence in the room was thick with unspoken resentment. I picked up the newspaper, pretending to read, but the headlines swam before my eyes. Across the fence, the gardener was meticulously trimmi...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 113 words

He paced his living room, the Persian rug feeling rough beneath his feet. Thomas had just seen Mrs. Abernathy's new yacht on the local news. A yacht! He’d been working two jobs, barely able to keep ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 103 words

Her breath hitched in her throat, a choked gasp. Standing at her kitchen sink, she stared at the gleaming, granite countertops of the house across the street. The house of the Martins, who had recentl...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 97 words

The tightness in Mark's chest made it hard to breathe. He stared at the newly installed swimming pool in Mr. and Mrs. Johnson's backyard, shimmering under the evening sun. He was currently making a bu...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 81 words

The phone vibrated in Emily's hand, another bill reminder flashing across the screen. She felt a sudden, sharp stab of pain in her temples. Outside, she saw Mr. Davies, the quiet, unassuming man from ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 92 words

He kicked the loose gravel on his driveway, sending small stones scattering. James had just come home from work to see his neighbor, the seemingly mild-mannered Mr. Peterson, driving a brand new sport...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 153 words

The paper crackled in Amelia's hands as she crumpled it, the sound a sharp punctuation to the silence of the library. Ninety-eight percent. The grade she'd poured countless hours into this project, th...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 137 words

He found the grade scrawled in red pen across the top of his calculus exam. A 'D'. Daniel’s vision blurred momentarily. His palms started to sweat. He reread the grade, as if the words might magical...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 126 words

"What the...?" Maya exclaimed, her voice barely a whisper. The grade on her history essay stared back at her: a 'C-'. A 'C-'? She had meticulously researched, cited sources, and crafted what she thoug...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 126 words

The email notification popped up on Liam's phone, and he nearly dropped it. A notification from the professor. He had to know the grade right away. He tapped it open and saw it: a 65%. A complete fail...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 120 words

The professor’s words echoed in Sarah’s ears, each one a hammer blow. "Needs significant improvement." Her grade for the final presentation, the culmination of a semester's work: a 'C'. She listen...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 116 words

“Unacceptable.” Ben muttered under his breath, staring at the rubric. The feedback. It was as if the professor hadn’t even read his work. The sheer incompetence was astounding. He thought, as he...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 114 words

The small, insignificant 'C' taunted him from the corner of the page. Mark felt his face flush. He was sure he'd aced this test. He reviewed the paper, searching for some clue as to what he got wrong....

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 106 words

The printout. The damning grade. A 'D'. Emily felt as if the air was being sucked from the room. She felt dizzy, disoriented. She felt her hands start to tremble. She'd put everything into this class,...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 97 words

He had the project in hand, ready to show the professor. It was an 'F', in bold, angry red. He felt the blood drain from his face. His carefully constructed presentation. His hours of research. All fo...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 98 words

"Failed." The single word, printed in bold at the top of the page, seemed to scream at him. Sam's chest felt tight, constricted. His carefully crafted work, the late nights, the stress, all for naught...