Gemotions

The courtroom was vast and intimidating, the faces of the board members staring down at her. Anna gripped the edges of the table tightly. The accusation against her echoed in the quiet room. Her chest tightened with a slow ache.

She listened to the witnesses, the evidence presented against her. She heard her name and her work, all contorted to seem wrong. The room began to swim. Her usual quick thinking deserted her, and all she could feel was the weight of it all.

Later, walking home alone, the world seemed monochrome, the joy of a recent victory dulled. The trees, their leaves rustling in the breeze, seemed to mock her. She felt exposed and vulnerable, as if the life had been sucked out of her. She stopped at the river, watching the water flow, and felt a profound, quiet despair.