Gemotions

The scent of old paper and ink hung heavy in the air of the university library, a place where time seemed to slow. For Professor Davies, it was a sanctuary. He’d spent countless hours here, lost in the pages of literature. He pulled a worn copy of Alistair Finch's *Echoes of the Past* from the shelf, and smiled.

He had always found Finch’s work to be profound, insightful. He also remembered reading his own first works, and their obvious similarities. He had a deep appreciation for the way Finch used language, the way he evoked emotion.

He settled into a chair, the familiar book in his hands. Then, a sudden chill. A chapter that mirrored, almost exactly, one of his own unpublished short stories. A knot formed in his stomach. His admiration curdled into something bitter.