Gemotions

He watched the news, a half-eaten bowl of cereal congealing on the table. The reporter spoke of local charities, of community events, but the words were distant, muffled. The letter lay beside the bowl, a crisp white rectangle.

His hands fidgeted, picking at the loose threads of the worn sofa. He tried to remember the doctor’s assurances, the dismissive tone about a simple administrative error. But the report, the test results… they weren’t his. They spoke of a life ending.

He closed his eyes, the image of the sun-drenched beach vacation they’d planned flickering in his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to look at it, the life he thought he had. It felt like someone had stolen his future, replaced it with a shadow.