Gemotions

She sat in the nearly empty concert hall, a single spotlight illuminating the stage. The instrumental began, the opening notes of her song, a song that had cost her everything. The performer, a young woman with a plastic smile, began to sing.

Her vision blurred. A wave of dizziness washed over her. It was a cheap facsimile of her own grief, a fabricated performance. It felt like they had come to steal something from her.

She rose from her seat, her movements jerky and stiff. She walked out, feeling the pressure in her head increase with every step. The door slammed shut behind her, the sound a final, defiant punctuation mark.