Gemotions

Eliza danced a jig in her tiny apartment, the linoleum floor creaking beneath her feet. "Finally!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with a delight she couldn't contain. The air crackled with a palpable energy. She clapped her hands, her palms stinging slightly, but she barely noticed. This was it. The culmination of months of late nights fueled by instant coffee and a burning desire. Her device, the one that would revolutionize sustainable energy, was nearly ready for its public debut.

Then she read the news. A major corporation had already patented a design suspiciously similar. Her stomach knotted, the joy that moments ago had coursed through her body now threatened to choke her.