Gemotions

The news broke during Professor Davies’ lecture on Elizabethan literature. Sarah, who usually thrived on scholarly debate, felt a curious hollowness settle in her stomach. The pronouncement was abrupt, clinical. Her classmates were buzzing with anxiety. She stayed quiet, a steady feeling in her chest. She watched the dust motes dance in the sunlight streaming through the window, an act of almost meditative observation. Later, when her friend started ranting about the injustice, Sarah nodded and smiled, and then brought her a cup of water, and listened.