Gemotions

The assignment loomed, a monstrous shape on the horizon of his week. He stared at the blank document on his screen, the cursor blinking accusingly. His fingers felt heavy, almost glued to the keyboard. Sighing dramatically, he leaned back in his chair, the squeak echoing in the otherwise silent room. A sudden urge to rearrange the desktop icons, even though they were perfectly organized, seized him. Then, a more pressing craving: a bottomless pit of ice cream.

He justified his actions to himself as “research.” Clicking over to a social media site, he scrolled aimlessly, each post a tantalizing distraction. A pang of guilt registered somewhere in the back of his mind, but it was quickly overshadowed by a desire for convenience. He scanned the first few search results, found something that seemed to fit, and copied it. Paste. Done. He'd worry about the citation later.