Gemotions

"Uninspired," the critic had written, "lacking vision." Chef Sofia's shoulders slumped as she sat at her small kitchen table. The review was a gut punch, a brutal assessment of her creative effort. Her hands lay flat on the table, still and unmoving.

She felt a wave of nausea wash over her. It was a sensation of such force that she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She had poured her heart into her cooking. She loved cooking. But how could this be?

She forced herself to open her eyes and get up. She walked slowly, as if she were wading through a thick substance, to the stove, and switched it on. She felt an odd detachment from herself, as if she were a spectator in her own life. She stood there, watching the burners glow.