Gemotions

Sarah stretched languidly in her overstuffed armchair, the remnants of a cheese and cracker platter scattered around her. The final chapter of her favorite novel lay open in her lap, the last few pages beckoning. She’d spent the entire morning and afternoon ensconced in its pages, letting the fictional world absorb her.

Her phone vibrated, an intrusion. She glanced at the screen: an email from the university. Subject: Important Announcement. Her fingers hesitated before she clicked it open, a vague sense of disquiet stirring within her.

The first sentence jolted her upright. Professor Davies, her thesis advisor, would be departing at the end of the semester. She stared at the screen, the words blurring. The cheese and crackers suddenly felt heavy.