Gemotions

Liam was stretched out on the grass, the late-morning air soft against his skin. He watched clouds drift, their forms slowly morphing across the vast expanse of blue. A lightness filled him, a feeling of being completely present in the moment. The rhythmic chirping of crickets was a soothing background to his thoughts.

A hurried knock on his dorm room door startled him. It was a university administrator, holding a thick folder and looking harried. "Mr. Davies?" the man asked. Liam, confused, confirmed.

The news hit him like a physical blow. A clerical error. The scholarship, the financial boon that granted him freedom, was not his. There had been a mix-up. The man stammered apologies, offering insufficient explanations. A hollow echo resonated within Liam’s chest. The sky, once an invitation to ponder, now felt like a taunt.