Gemotions

The rejection email arrived, as expected. The second one, the same day, was not. It began, "We regret to inform you…" Then, in the body, it acknowledged his article on ancient hieroglyphs. It was a rejection email that came from a different publication, however. He had only submitted to one. Michael, his breath catching in his throat, opened the rejection email.

The email's wording was familiar. The topic was familiar. But the author's name wasn’t. It was someone in his department, someone who had seemed helpful and supportive during his research. A cold, hard knot formed in Michael's gut. He found the published article online, and it displayed the same work, attributed to the other person.

He felt a deep chill, a physical sensation of being betrayed. He closed his eyes, and wished this was a nightmare.