Gemotions

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 120 words

The attic air tasted of dust and resentment. Sarah slammed the trunk lid shut after finding the list. She knew it was there, she’d been dreading it. Her mother's neat, looping handwriting mocked her...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 116 words

He found the list tucked inside a leather-bound journal. It was Dad's handwriting, still strong and steady despite the shaking that had plagued him in his final months. *Visit the Great Barrier Reef*....

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 117 words

The sunlight sliced through the dusty windows of the garage, illuminating the list pinned to the corkboard. "Learn to play the ukulele," her dad had written. *Learn*. As if it were that simple. She ki...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 98 words

The list, written in her mother’s meticulous script, was a cruel joke. "Ride a hot air balloon." She was already late. It was all a performance, every single one of her mom’s passions. He'd picked...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 87 words

The list crackled in her trembling hand. "Write a novel." Her grandmother, the woman who had always criticized her writing, who had dismissed her dreams. She tossed the paper onto the kitchen table, t...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 94 words

He stared at the list. *Go to a baseball game*. His father's handwriting, a script he knew better than his own. He felt a throbbing ache behind his eyes. He hadn't seen a baseball game in years, not s...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 89 words

The list, scrawled on a yellow legal pad, was a betrayal. "Plant a rose garden." Her mother, always so cheerful, so determined. He felt a surge of heat in his cheeks. He hadn’t forgiven her, not for...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 74 words

The paper crinkled under her fingers. "Learn to speak Italian." Her father had always had time for his hobbies, but never for her. She knew this was a guilt trip. A final attempt to manipulate her fro...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 72 words

He read the list, his face a mask. "Build a birdhouse." His grandfather, a man who had never showed affection. He found the paper in a toolbox. He felt a tight, angry knot in his chest. He tossed the...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 89 words

The list was a slap in the face. "See the Taj Mahal." Her mother, with her unending optimism. He felt a sudden, sharp pain behind his ribs. She had traveled the world. And left him behind. He crumple...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 155 words

The chipped ceramic mug felt heavy in Mr. Abernathy’s hand. He glared at the offending object, a misshapen thing depicting a crudely drawn cartoon cat, now nestled amongst the other mugs on his desk...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 143 words

A vein throbbed in Ms. Delgado's temple as she stared at the package. It sat innocuously on her doorstep, tied with a bright red bow, almost mocking her. She hated the color red. Her shoulders were ri...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 147 words

The sunlight was too bright, the air too still. Mr. Evans stood by the window, hands shoved deep in his pockets, watching the children play in the schoolyard. A brightly colored balloon, tied to a par...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 109 words

The email pinged, a shrill interruption to Mrs. Chen’s otherwise peaceful afternoon. She clicked on it with a grunt. An attachment. A photograph. A picture of her former student, Mark, now apparentl...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 118 words

The box of chocolates sat on Mr. Harding's desk, its ornate packaging almost obscene. He'd found it this morning, nestled amongst a pile of ungraded papers. It was a gift from Michael, a student who'd...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 107 words

“Another one?” Mrs. Davies muttered, her voice tight. A small, carefully wrapped book had been delivered, her name meticulously written on the label. Inside, a book of poetry. From Emily, the girl...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 101 words

Mr. Peterson, arms crossed, paced the small confines of his classroom. A bulky, awkwardly shaped vase, now occupied a corner of his desk. He’d received it yesterday, courtesy of Ethan, the student w...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 106 words

The phone rang. Ms. Rodriguez answered it with a curt, “Hello.” A former student, Liam, was on the other end, gushing about how much he appreciated her. Liam, the kid who had the audacity to call ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 104 words

Mr. Bell stared at the framed photograph, a gift he found on his doorstep this morning. A picture of himself with his former students. A group photo. He was in the center, smiling, but his gut twisted...

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

The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the room, a scent that only made Ms. Miller’s head ache. She’d found the loaf on her doorstep, wrapped in a simple, brown paper bag, with a note: *Hope you ...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 173 words

The gallery's pristine white walls seemed to mock Leo as he stalked through the space. Every carefully positioned spotlight, every minimalist pedestal, amplified the sick feeling churning in his gut. ...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 169 words

Sarah slammed the door of the cafe, the bell above the entrance jingling with a furious insistence. Outside, the rain was a relentless sheet, mirroring the downpour inside her. That photograph, the on...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 150 words

The press release practically vibrated with condescension. "A celebration of modern genius," it declared, beneath a photograph of her watercolors – watercolors she hadn't authorized to be shown, let...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 139 words

The music was jarring, a cacophony of synthetic beats that clashed with the quiet solitude of the forest path. Elias felt his pulse quicken, his jaw ticking. They were playing his song, his meticulous...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 138 words

The gallery was packed, a sea of chattering faces and forced smiles. Maya could barely breathe. Her paintings, her fiercely personal expressions of grief and joy, were on display for these people to d...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 145 words

He stared at the canvas, the strokes of paint on the canvas. It was *his* painting, and now it was decorating the lobby of a soulless corporate office. Mark couldn’t believe the nerve of the person ...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 116 words

The website was a nauseating blend of buzzwords and empty promises, and at the center of it all, her sculpture. The digital rendering of her art had been used to promote a weight-loss product she foun...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 127 words

The banner hung across the town square, a grotesque parody of his meticulously crafted mosaic. The colors were washed out, the imagery distorted, his masterpiece reduced to a cheap advertisement. Liam...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 110 words

The flyer, plastered on every lamppost in the city, screamed a blatant lie. They were selling prints of her photographs, claiming them to be their own. It was a vicious betrayal, a complete disregard ...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 120 words

He heard the music as he stepped into the grocery store. It was his composition, the instrumental track that he’d painstakingly crafted. The song was being used to advertise a brand of sugary cereal...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 179 words

Rain lashed against the windows of my cramped apartment, mirroring the turmoil brewing inside me. Mrs. Gable, with her perfectly coiffed silver hair and seemingly endless supply of designer handbags, ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 150 words

The air thrummed with unspoken resentment. I watched from my upstairs window as Mr. Abernathy, my neighbor, effortlessly tossed a basketball into the hoop that probably cost more than my entire mortga...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 119 words

The sunlight was too bright, reflecting off the polished chrome of the gate that secured Mr. Henderson’s sprawling estate. A wave of bitterness washed over me as I watched him step out of his luxury...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 123 words

It was the champagne flutes, the laughter echoing from Mrs. Davies’s garden party, that finally broke me. The sheer audacity of it. I stood on my porch, my jaw tight, listening to their carefree rev...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 111 words

The smell of freshly cut grass, wafting from Mr. Peterson’s yard, was an immediate irritant. I glared out my window. He was always doing something, always improving something. I hated it. He had a ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 99 words

“Morning!” Mrs. Hawthorne's chirpy greeting grated on my nerves. I forced a tight smile. She had just returned from her trip to the Bahamas. I wanted to scream. The new car in her driveway, a gle...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 95 words

The sheer size of the mansion next door was a constant, unwelcome presence. It loomed over my house, a monument to everything I lacked. The sight of it felt like a physical blow. Mr. Sterling's car c...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 98 words

The pristine white fence that separated my yard from Ms. Bloom's was an unwelcome barrier. I watched her, from my kitchen window, effortlessly strolling through her garden. I scowled. Her designer cl...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 91 words

The scent of gourmet food wafted from Mr. Carter's house. I sat on my porch, the air around me heavy. The constant stream of deliveries, the extravagant parties, were all a source of irritation. The ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 97 words

The sound of children laughing, coming from the playground built exclusively for the residents of Mr. Evans’s gated community, was like a knife twisting in my gut. I sat on my stoop, feeling a deep-...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 86 words

The paper crackled in her trembling hands. A D. A D? After all the hours, the research, the agonizing over every sentence? Her jaw clenched. She felt a burning sensation in her chest, like something w...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 78 words

He slammed the door to the dorm room, the sound echoing through the hallway. The failing grade was a punch to the gut. The air felt thick, heavy, unbreathable. He tossed his backpack against the wall,...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 89 words

"Is there something you would like to discuss?" The professor's question sliced through the silence of the office, the smile on her face seemed patronizing. Her words felt like a direct confrontation....

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 71 words

The bus ride home felt excruciatingly long. Each bump in the road mirrored the jagged pain in her gut. She chewed on her lip, a habit she'd long since broken. The test, the grade, the unfairness of it...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 73 words

He barely made it through the afternoon's class. The professor's feedback, the red ink, the audacity of the whole thing - it all felt like a personal vendetta. He sat at the back, arms folded, his gaz...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 64 words

The kitchen counter felt cold and unforgiving against her hands. She stared at the failed exam, the words swimming before her eyes. The feeling was a simmering rage, a pressure building behind her eye...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 68 words

The library felt suffocating. The air was too stale, the silence too loud. She had come here to study, to salvage something from this disaster, but all she could manage was to stare blankly at the pag...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 77 words

“Well,” he began, his voice barely a whisper, “this is just great.” His gaze was fixed on the ceiling as he addressed his professor. He felt his hands begin to tremble. The test, the grade, th...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 70 words

The walk home felt too long, too exposed. The setting sun cast elongated shadows that seemed to mock her. The failing grade, it felt like a stain, a blemish on her carefully constructed self-image. Ev...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 91 words

He found himself pacing his room, the same path worn into the carpet. He kept replaying the professor’s comments in his head, each word a fresh insult. He punched the pillow on his bed, the impact b...