Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the student library, mirroring the storm brewing inside Thomas. He’d spent years cultivating his collection of rare books, many pilfered from the university’s own archives. He envisioned selling them off, making a tidy profit to expand his own library, a private sanctuary. Now, the university was kaput.

He slammed his fist on the desk. All those hours of research, the careful planning, the future he’d envisioned… gone. He scanned the room, eyes darting from shelf to shelf, cataloging potential treasures. He needed to get his hands on them. A low thrum of excitement began to pulse in his temples.

He excused himself to the librarian on duty, "Could you help me with an inventory of all the books? I'm curious to see how many I have checked out." The librarian, already burdened by the news, complied. Each book he 'helped' place, each moment he was close to them, he wanted to gather, to hoard, to claim as his own. He would not let this loss happen.