Gemotions

The announcement came with a subtle vibration, a buzz in the phone that sent a jolt of anxiety through Maria. She tried to steady her hands. The email was terse, the details sparse. But the implications were clear. She felt a familiar hollowness, a sense of… letdown.

She looked around the office. The faces of her colleagues, once familiar and comforting, now seemed distant, strangers in a shared predicament. She opened a drawer, looking at her personal effects, and the mementos felt cold.

The world seemed to have slowed. Time was no longer a flowing river, but a stagnant pond. She had a list of things she needed to do. But she didn't move. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry. Instead, she sat, motionless, at her desk, as the news swirled around her.