Gemotions

The park bench felt cold and hard against her back. The air hung thick and heavy. She'd walked here to avoid the office, to escape the crushing news. The identical book. Years of writing, of research, of crafting a story. Now, there was another.

She pulled out her notebook, flipping through the dog-eared pages. The story she'd poured her heart into seemed… wrong somehow. She closed her eyes, the familiar words and descriptions replaying themselves.

She opened her eyes and felt that the ink from the pen had dried up and wouldn't flow. She tossed the pen aside and leaned her head back, watching the clouds drift. A deep breath. A sigh. And a long stillness.