Gemotions

The library was quiet, the scent of old paper and ink a familiar comfort. He sat surrounded by books, but couldn't focus on the words. The doctor's statement was a phantom limb: "Incorrect information… your medical records… mixed up." He felt a profound sense of disorientation.

He closed his eyes. The weight of his own worries, the future he'd dreaded, was now someone else’s burden. He was released, but what did that mean? He wasn't sure. His mind felt like a blank canvas.

He opened his eyes and stared at the spines of the books. A world of knowledge, of experience, of stories, surrounded him. He picked up a volume of poetry and read a few lines, trying to find some anchor in the storm of his thoughts.