Gemotions

The chipped mug warmed Elias’s hands, but it did little to chase away the chill that had settled in his bones. He reread the email, the terse, impersonal words of farewell from Professor Anya. *Retired. Effective immediately.* Just like that. After five years, after countless hours spent in the lab, after Anya’s patient guidance through his often-overwhelmed state… gone. He set down the mug with a clatter, the ceramic singing a hollow note. He felt a sting behind his eyes, a tightness he hated, and quickly busied himself with the familiar routine of cleaning up his workbench, a task he suddenly found utterly pointless.