Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window, mirroring the tempest inside Amelia. She stared at the patent rejection letter, crumpled in her hand. The image of the "Hydro-Powered Irrigation System" mocked her from the screen. She had dreamed of this, of bringing water to the drought-stricken farmlands, but now the dream was dust. She felt a bone-deep weariness she couldn't shake. Her father had always encouraged her to fight on but his absence was keenly felt in these moments. The emptiness in the kitchen, the silence in the house, was a constant, heavy weight. She kicked a stray boot across the floor, the sound echoing in the stillness.