Gemotions

The clock on the microwave ticked with maddening slowness. Sarah stared at the blinking numbers, the hum of the appliance echoing the low thrumming inside her. Her partner, Mark, was out of town for a conference. The house felt too large, the silence too complete. She felt trapped. She needed to *escape* this dullness.

She found the list tucked inside a drawer, a crumpled piece of paper, written in Mark's hurried scrawl. “Learn to surf.” “Hike the Appalachian Trail.” Sarah felt a strange mix of emotions. She'd known Mark for ten years, built a life. She wondered why she had not known these desires of his. She felt a kind of… displacement.

She paced through the living room, the familiar furniture suddenly alien. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, she threw open the front door. The cool night air hit her face, a welcome shock. She felt as though she could breathe again.