Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, usually a comfort, now felt like an unwelcome intrusion. The empty seat across from her at the cafe table was a gaping void. Mrs. Rodriguez, her writing mentor, had vanished. The last lesson, the one scheduled for today, would never happen. She opened her notebook, the blank pages mocking her with their emptiness. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd been on the verge of something, a breakthrough, only to have the rug pulled out from under her. She bit her lip, the words she'd worked so hard to refine all of a sudden feeling inadequate.