Gemotions

He found the letter in a first edition of "Moby Dick." The contents, detailing a debt owed and threats made, left a bitter taste in his mouth. He felt the world closing in. The innocuous became menacing.

He started keeping the blinds drawn, even during the day. The sunlight felt invasive, a spotlight exposing his every move. He flinched at the sound of the wind, imagining it carried whispers, promises of ruin.

Every interaction felt charged, every conversation a veiled threat. He stopped answering the phone, screened every text. He started sleeping with a baseball bat beside his bed, waking at every unfamiliar sound.