Gemotions

The seaside breeze carried the scent of salt and seaweed, a familiar comfort that seemed to offer no solace today. He sat on the sandy beach, the rejection email saved on his phone, the pixels of text mocking him. He’d poured his heart into *The Lighthouse Keeper's Secret*, a novel inspired by his childhood summers spent at his grandparent’s seaside house. He was devastated.

He watched the waves crash against the shore, each one a relentless rhythm of advance and retreat. He glanced at the waves as he thought of his late father. His father would have been proud of him. He looked down the coast, at the lighthouse in the distance, a beacon that now seemed to shine for someone else.

He closed his eyes, hearing the cries of the gulls and the distant rumble of the waves. He felt a tear trickle down his cheek. His childhood dream was shattered.