Gemotions

It happened in the supermarket, of all places. Elias was reaching for a box of cereal when the song, his song, “The Painted Sea,” started to play over the intercom. His knees felt wobbly. The song was the first thing he’d ever written with real feeling, and it was playing now, but this version was… slick, overproduced, devoid of the grit and raw emotion he'd intended.

His fingers fumbled with the cereal box, dropping it with a loud thud. He bent to pick it up, his face burning. He felt a sudden, desperate need to disappear, to vanish into the anonymity of the crowd.

He straightened up, brushing himself off. He started to walk toward the exit, his pace quickening. The song followed him, a constant, irritating reminder. He pushed the automatic doors open, stepping out into the sunlight, and kept walking.