Gemotions

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 135 words

The crinkled paper felt like ice against Eleanor’s clammy palms. Her mother’s handwriting, looping and familiar, stared back at her. *Learn to surf.* The list. The bucket list. Eleanor slumped aga...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 126 words

David felt a flush creep up his neck as he read, in his father’s precise script: *Go skinny dipping.* His father, Arthur, the man who ironed his socks and clipped his toenails religiously. The thoug...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 106 words

Sarah felt a wave of…discomfort wash over her as she scanned her mother's list. *Go skydiving.* Her mother, who had meticulously planned every aspect of her life, down to the brand of tea she drank,...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 106 words

The list felt hot in Mark’s hands. *Travel to Nepal.* His father, a man who rarely ventured beyond the local grocery store, wanting to…climb a mountain? He stared at the words, his mouth agape. *...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 92 words

The paper crackled as Leo unfolded it. *Learn to cook a five-course meal.* His mother, the queen of microwave dinners, suddenly wanted to…be a chef? He felt his ears prickle. He glanced around the ...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 92 words

“This can’t be real,” Emily muttered, her voice a strained whisper. *Become a stand-up comedian.* Her mother, the epitome of elegance and decorum, wanting to…tell jokes? The blood rushed to h...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 98 words

The small, square paper felt heavy in John’s hand. *Go on a road trip across the country.* His father, who had spent his entire life in the same small town, wanting to…explore? John’s breath hi...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 85 words

The list seemed to hum in Maya's hand. *Paint a nude self-portrait.* Her mother, a practical engineer, wanted to… reveal herself? Maya's stomach lurched. She felt a wave of warmth creep up her neck...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 94 words

Liam felt his cheeks grow warm as he read. *Join a biker gang.* His father, a mild-mannered accountant, wanting to…ride a motorcycle? He felt a prickling heat in his eyes. He paced the living room,...

Someone finds their deceased parent's bucket list 96 words

The paper felt like it was burning a hole in Chloe's hand. *Go on a date with a younger man.* Her mother, recently widowed, had written this? Chloe felt her face tighten. She couldn’t believe her e...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 96 words

The antique music box sat on her desk, nestled amongst a pile of ungraded papers. Mrs. Gable stared at it, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson. It was from Kyle, a student notorious for his pranks, the...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 92 words

He cleared his throat, the sound unusually loud in the almost-empty staff room. "For you, Mr. Henderson." The former student, now a hulking adult, offered a framed drawing: a crude but recognizable ca...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 90 words

"Mrs. Peterson?" A hesitant voice. It was Sarah, the girl who had burst into tears during the poetry slam in tenth grade. Now, standing before her, a fully grown woman with a business card in hand. Mr...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 88 words

The doorbell rang, startling Mr. Davies from his quiet evening. Peeking through the peephole, he saw it was Kevin, the student who'd once sabotaged his car's tire pressure, a prank that resulted in de...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 85 words

The box felt heavy in her hands. She knew exactly what it was before she even opened it. A collection of her old lessons, meticulously organized and neatly bound. From the one student who always fell ...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 85 words

“Mr. Finch, I just wanted to say…” the former student began, handing him a brightly wrapped package. Mr. Finch's stomach lurched. The boy had been expelled for academic dishonesty, caught cheati...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 99 words

The small sculpture sat on her shelf. An abstract piece, crafted from what appeared to be scrap metal. It was from Mark, the boy who used to build contraptions in the back of her physics class. She re...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 84 words

The oversized teddy bear, dwarfing her already small desk, seemed to stare at her with judging eyes. She remembered the former student, a particularly boisterous child, always in trouble. She had scol...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 72 words

I felt my heart race as I recognized the handwriting on the card. Michael, the student I’d argued with constantly about his poor grades. The package contained a signed copy of his first novel. My pa...

A teacher receives an unexpected gift from a former student 89 words

He hadn't seen her in years, but there she was, the girl who, during his final year, had repeatedly skipped his class. He received an email with an attachment: a photograph of her holding her Ph.D. di...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 125 words

Agnes practically vibrated with unease. Her carefully crafted ceramic sculptures, whimsical creatures with mismatched features, were staring back at her from the gallery window. She hadn't even finish...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 113 words

My cheeks burned. I wanted to disappear, melt into the cheap, stained carpet of the office lobby. There, hanging on the wall, was *it*. My doodle. The one I’d absentmindedly drawn during a particula...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 101 words

The photographer, a friend of a friend, had assured her. “Just a little exposure,” he’d said. “Wonderful for your portfolio.” Now, the photographs, the intimate ones, were splashed across th...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 106 words

The tiny, handwritten poems, scrawled on napkins and tucked into the pockets of old jackets, were now framed, illuminated by gallery spotlights. Her words, her vulnerabilities, were on display. She fe...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 90 words

He stood rooted to the spot, his mouth hanging slightly open. His pixelated cat meme, created as a joke to amuse his friends, had gone viral. It was now a six-foot-tall inflatable monstrosity, towerin...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 84 words

A scream was trapped in her throat. Her embroidery, those painstakingly crafted samplers, were now adorning the haute couture runway. Her homespun creations, made in the quiet of her attic, were now d...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 85 words

The walls of the museum seemed to close in on her. Her childhood drawings, hastily scribbled with crayon on cardboard, were hanging in the hallowed halls of art. Children were pointing, giggling. Adul...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 84 words

The air in the restaurant was thick with the scent of garlic and expectation. The chef, her cousin, had insisted. "Just trust me!" he'd pleaded. Now, the pasta sculptures, her whimsical, edible creati...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 77 words

Her sketches, private and filled with raw emotion, now filled the glossy pages of the art magazine. Her innermost thoughts, the source of her pain, were now on display for anyone to peruse. She flipp...

An artist's work is displayed without their permission 70 words

He hadn't signed the graffiti. He'd left it unsigned. Yet, there it was, on a twenty-foot-tall mural, commissioned by the city. It was his style, his imagery, but without his consent. A crowd gathere...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 136 words

The invitation sat on her kitchen counter, a thick cream card embossed with gold lettering. A garden party. At the Bradleys' house. Sarah gripped it, her knuckles white. She'd spent the last year comp...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 108 words

He nearly choked on his coffee. Mr. Henderson, his neighbor, the quiet, unassuming man who always wore the same slightly faded corduroys, had just pulled up in a vintage Aston Martin. A *real* Aston M...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 103 words

The truth hit Emily like a rogue wave. Mrs. Gable, with her sensible shoes and the perpetually overflowing bird feeder, owned a penthouse overlooking the city. A penthouse *with a view.* Emily felt he...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 101 words

The discovery came via a local newspaper, a glossy profile on successful entrepreneurs. There, in a picture, was Mrs. Peterson, the woman who always brought a casserole to the potlucks. James felt his...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 106 words

It was the auction. He’d gone to the charity event hoping to snag a cheap painting. He’d seen the woman he knew as "Linda from next door", and he'd assumed, based on her simple clothes and old car...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 107 words

He stared at the security cameras, the gleaming chrome reflecting the midday sun. His neighbor, Frank, the guy who always mowed his own lawn and wore old t-shirts, had a state-of-the-art security syst...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 97 words

The letter arrived in the mail: a notification of a new zoning regulation that would drastically alter the neighborhood. It had been signed by the members of the Homeowners Association. And there, at ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 87 words

The party was in full swing, music blasting from the house next door. He knew the Millers, as he thought of them, barely. They seemed like a middle-class family. Now, he realized he'd been completely ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 104 words

She was at the grocery store. The woman in line in front of her, the one with the simple haircut and the sensible cardigan, was paying with a platinum card. As she walked away, a chauffeur opened the ...

Someone discovers their neighbor is secretly wealthy 76 words

He was walking his dog when he saw a familiar face emerge from a private helicopter. It was Mr. Abernathy, the man who always wore the same worn-out sweater and patched-up jeans. A helicopter? He’d...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 82 words

The paper crackled in her trembling hands. A D. A D? After all the late nights, the research, the editing? Her cheeks burned, and she felt a strange pressure building behind her eyes. She wanted to di...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 90 words

He stared at the email, the stark red text screaming from his laptop screen. A C- on the final project. He’d poured his heart and soul into that presentation, staying up all night for a week to perf...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 73 words

"Professor Miller, could I talk to you for a moment?" Her voice wavered. She stood awkwardly in the doorway of his office, clutching the offending essay. The grade, a C, mocked her. She had envisioned...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 78 words

The silence in the car was deafening. Her dad, usually so chatty, was quiet, his eyes fixed on the road. The red “D” on her math test lay crumpled on the seat beside her. She felt a knot tighten i...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 74 words

The cafeteria buzzed with lunchtime chatter, but for Leo, it was a cacophony. The bright, cheerful atmosphere felt like a cruel joke. He picked at his sandwich, the food suddenly tasteless. He'd bombe...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 69 words

"So, how'd you do?" Sarah's friend beamed, the A on her paper radiating triumph. The question, delivered with innocent curiosity, felt like a slap in the face. Sarah's face flushed crimson. She mumble...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 66 words

The professor’s words, "I'm afraid your understanding of the material is… lacking," echoed in her ears. A D. She wanted to run, to hide from the judgment in the room. Her carefully constructed fac...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 77 words

He stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, the blood draining from his face. A failing grade in his major course. He had completely let down his parents, his professors, and most importantly,...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 79 words

The party was in full swing, music blaring, laughter filling the air. He forced a smile, but his heart felt like a lead weight in his chest. He clutched his drink a little too tightly, the ice clinkin...

A student receives a much lower grade than expected 67 words

"This isn't what I expected," the words hung in the air, heavy with disappointment. The professor’s statement, combined with the low grade on his project, was like a physical blow. He shifted uncomf...