Gemotions

James felt his cheeks flush crimson. He fiddled with the strap of his messenger bag, the leather suddenly rough against his sweaty palms. The inventor, a jovial man with a booming laugh, was pointing at a display model of James's "revolutionary" egg-cracking device. It was… identical.

“Remarkable coincidence, wouldn’t you say?” The inventor chuckled, his eyes twinkling. James mumbled a response, something about a shared global subconscious. His stomach clenched. He’d envisioned a future, a company, and now… he just felt incredibly small. He wanted to go home and never leave his apartment.

The room seemed to spin slightly. He wished the floor would open up and swallow him.