Gemotions

Maya sat in her car, the engine off, the air thick with the scent of pine. She’d driven to the secluded forest to clear her head, but the pristine landscape felt alien. The rejection email sat on her passenger seat, its electronic words a taunt. Obsidian Publishing, her publisher of choice, wanted nothing to do with her work.

She stared out at the trees, the sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating dappled patterns. It was all so beautiful, and yet, she couldn't appreciate it. A coldness settled in her chest, a feeling of utter displacement.

She wanted to scream, to lash out, to understand. Why hadn’t they seen the truth in her words? Why wasn't her story good enough? The feeling of being stranded in a world she no longer understood wrapped around her.