Gemotions

The coffee cup trembled in Leo’s hand, sloshing lukewarm liquid over the rim. He stared at the empty chair across the small, cluttered table in the cafe. Professor Moreau had always occupied that seat, dispensing wisdom alongside steaming mugs of black coffee. Yesterday, everything was normal. Today, a colleague had casually mentioned Moreau's sudden departure. Leo felt a strange hollowness, a void that yawned open in his chest. He took a large, unnecessary gulp of the bitter coffee, the taste doing little to soothe the sudden ache.