Gemotions

He read the email, each word a blow. “Your groundbreaking discovery now credited to another researcher.” He felt a strange detachment, as if watching a play unfold in slow motion. The thought of contesting the claim, of fighting to reclaim his work, felt…impossible.

He felt the chair creak beneath him as he leaned back. The energy to act had simply evaporated. He gazed out the window, at the green and growing world outside, and felt an overpowering urge to simply…stay put. Maybe, if he waited long enough, the problem would simply solve itself. Or maybe not. It didn't particularly matter.