Gemotions

The stale air of the office pressed down on Amelia, a suffocating presence. She stared at the overflowing inbox, each email a fresh wave of demands. She felt the familiar ache in her shoulders, the tension that always settled there by mid-morning. She just kept going, one task after another, each a tiny step into a vast, shapeless void.

Across the room, Kevin was laughing. He’d won another office trivia contest, his prize a gift certificate to a mediocre coffee shop. She saw him gesture animatedly to someone.

“You went to Camp Willow Creek too? No way!” she heard him exclaim. Amelia paused. Willow Creek. The name was a whisper, a faded echo in the chambers of her mind. A memory of a younger self surfaced.