Gemotions

The letter arrived, crisp and official. "We are pleased to inform you… your essay, 'The Tapestry of Broken Threads,' has been selected for inclusion in our upcoming anthology..." She crumpled the paper in her hand. Not again.

Her parents were already planning a celebratory dinner. The thought made her want to run and hide. She hated this forced exposure. She hated the public validation of something so deeply private. She knew she should be proud. She should be grateful. But she felt only a deep, abiding resistance.

She went to her room, locked the door, and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The walls seemed to close in. The anticipation of the attention, the praise, felt suffocating. She wanted to erase it all, to undo the words, to erase her past.