Gemotions

The email notification blared, a digital siren song. She stared at the screen, heart slamming against her ribs. She was being moved to the new "Innovation Hub."

She reread the message, each sentence a hammer blow. Innovation? She was a librarian, a keeper of order, a devotee of the Dewey Decimal System. Her mind raced, painting terrifying pictures of brainstorming sessions and forced collaboration.

She felt a cold knot forming in her stomach. She pictured herself, a wallflower, struggling to keep up with the tech gurus and visionary strategists. It felt as though the world was closing in, the familiar walls of her office dissolving.

She pushed back from her desk, the chair screeching on the polished floor, the sound grating. She had to do something, anything, to regain control, to make the bad feeling in her gut go away.