Gemotions

It was karaoke night at the local pub. Maria had always avoided it, but tonight, she’d been dragged along by friends. Then, a woman stepped up to the microphone, and the opening bars of *her* song erupted from the speakers. Maria’s world tilted. The singer, clearly drunk, was mangling the words, the melody, the very essence of the song. A wave of icy dread washed over her. She felt exposed, vulnerable, as if everyone in the room could see right through her. She wanted to vanish, to crumble into dust.