Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the apartment. Mark had just finished a baking session, and the warm, sweet scent filled his apartment. He was enjoying the fruits of his labour, settling onto the couch with a plate piled high, ready to watch a movie. The world seemed bright and full of possibility.

A call on his landline interrupted his plans. He answered, and a woman's stern voice introduced herself as a member of the academic review board. She needed to speak with him about his recent history paper.

Mark's appetite vanished, the cookies now seeming heavy in his stomach.