Gemotions

The news felt like a physical blow. She sat at her kitchen table, staring blankly at the rejection email. It was formatted like all the others, polite, generic, but this time it was different. This time it was *her* rejection.

She went through the motions of the day, but everything felt muted, filtered. The bright colors of the world seemed faded, the sounds of the city muffled. She watched television. She ate dinner. She couldn’t remember any of it.

Later, she sat on her balcony, gazing at the glittering city lights. She felt nothing. It was like everything had gone on hold. She took a final, long drag of her cigarette, then stubbed it out and went inside.