Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked bread filled the house, but Julia could barely register it. Her grandmother had been baking her favorite sourdough, a ritual that usually filled her with joy. But today, the smell seemed to lack its usual magic. She sat at the kitchen table, watching her grandmother's hands knead the dough, feeling nothing.

Her grandmother smiled and offered her a piece of warm bread, but Julia shook her head. She had no appetite. She had been on the team for years. Everything she had worked towards. Suddenly gone. It felt unreal, like a bad dream. She was tired of the dream.

The warmth of the kitchen, the love in her grandmother's eyes, all seemed distant and remote. She just wanted to disappear.