Gemotions

“Ugh,” Amelia groaned. The coffee shop, her self-proclaimed sanctuary, had been invaded by a gaggle of screaming children. The air buzzed with a noise that grated on her nerves. She'd sought refuge in a book, a volume of short stories, hoping to escape the chaos, but found her peace shattered.

Then, a handwritten note slid out. It was a drawing, a childish rendering of a family with stick figures. A child's drawing. She felt a sudden, sharp, unreasonable resentment. This was just another complication in the long list of irritations she was experiencing.

She glared at the image, her lips pressed into a thin line. She wanted to scream. She took a deep breath, fighting the urge to rip the page in two. Instead, she put the book down, deciding to leave, to get away from everything.