Gemotions

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 51 words

The tomatoes. All of them, decimated. Mrs. Gable's prize-winning Beefsteaks, flattened and splattered across the red clay. A large, golden retriever, tongue lolling, sat amidst the wreckage, tail givi...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 72 words

The clatter from the kitchen had drawn him outside. He'd been meticulously arranging his antique stamp collection, lost in the quiet concentration he found in the tiny squares of paper. Now, the peace...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 64 words

The doorbell rang. Sarah opened the door, expecting the pizza delivery. Instead, there was a small, brown terrier standing on her porch, wagging its tail with joyous abandon. The dog had a leash trail...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 76 words

The pristine white picket fence, newly painted last weekend, was no barrier. A muddy paw print marred the fresh paint, right in the center of the gate. He found himself rooted to the spot, unable to p...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 65 words

The smell hit her first: wet dog and something… else. She rounded the corner of the house and came to an abrupt halt. The swing set, the one her children had loved, was being used as a chew toy by a...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 74 words

He’d been dreaming, a pleasant dream of sailing on a clear blue sea. The harsh, persistent barking yanked him from sleep. He pulled himself out of bed and sleepily stumbled to the window. His eyes w...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 58 words

The fluffy, white thing had squeezed beneath the gate. It was in her yard again. This time, it was digging. Her herb garden, meticulously planned and nurtured, was being torn to shreds. She felt a tig...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 53 words

“Well, hello there,” the neighbor said with a forced smile. He pointed towards the mangled remains of his freshly planted petunias. The neighbor’s Labrador, clearly the culprit, sat panting at h...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 60 words

I blinked, twice, then a third time. My blood felt like it had turned to ice. The neighbor’s husky, a creature of boundless energy, was inside my gazebo, tangled in the mosquito netting, looking utt...

A neighbor's dog keeps escaping into their yard 67 words

He had just finished waxing his vintage car, a labor of love that had taken all morning. He walked around the car, admiring his handiwork. Then he saw it: muddy paw prints across the hood, a perfect, ...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 168 words

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Coach Miller's office suddenly felt smaller, the walls seeming to close in. Sarah’s breath hitched, a tiny gasp swallowed by the silence. She stared...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 161 words

He’d known, of course, that cuts were coming. Every year, it was the same. But still, the announcement hit him like a physical blow. James’s legs went weak, and he had to grip the edge of the blea...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 135 words

The world tilted. Emily felt a sensation like she was falling, even though she was standing perfectly still. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the sudden, unexpected fog that had descended over her...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 136 words

The locker room, usually a hub of boisterous energy, felt hollow, the silence amplified by the echoing drip of a leaky faucet. Mark felt a sudden, intense chill, despite the warm air. His muscles tens...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 139 words

“I… I don’t understand,” Maria whispered, the words barely audible above the rhythmic thud of a basketball being dribbled in the next gym. The air seemed to have thickened, making it hard to d...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 131 words

He stared at the ground, at the scuffed wooden floor of the gym, the lines blurring before his eyes. The coach’s words resonated in his head like a broken record, repeating and repeating: "not the r...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 130 words

The temperature in the small, cramped office seemed to plummet. A shiver ran down Alex's spine, even though he was wearing his warmest practice gear. He blinked, trying to focus on the coach’s face,...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 126 words

The air crackled with a strange energy, a tautness that prickled across Liam’s skin. He felt a sharp, stabbing pain behind his eyes. He squeezed them shut for a moment, then opened them again, as if...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 117 words

The silence that followed the coach's announcement was deafening. It felt like the world had stopped, and everyone else had gone on without him. Ava’s hands instinctively flew to her mouth, covering...

A coach has to cut a player from the team 129 words

He was vaguely aware of the coach talking, something about “new strategies” and “the team’s needs,” but the words seemed to bounce off him, meaningless. John felt a cold, empty sensation blo...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 155 words

The email sat in Amelia’s inbox, a stark white rectangle against the gentle blue of her screen. It wasn't the publisher, as she'd initially thought. It was a link to a blog post, a post that had her...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 128 words

He’d waited years for this moment. For the new Cormac Riley book. Finn had pre-ordered the hardcover, and as he started reading, his grip tightened around the book. The words… They were his words....

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 117 words

"Impossible," Maya whispered, the word barely audible. The news report blared from her laptop, the headline screaming, "Renowned Author Exposed!" The name beneath, Arthur Finch, was all too familiar. ...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 115 words

The coffee cup slipped from Ethan's grasp, shattering on the polished wood floor. A dark stain bloomed across the freshly cleaned surface. He didn't even notice. He stared, frozen, at the article on h...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 115 words

The librarian’s voice was a soft, soothing murmur in the quiet space, but for Liam, it was a distant echo. The digital printout in his hands felt like a lead weight. It contained the evidence, the u...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 113 words

“Are you alright, Clara?” Her roommate, Sarah, peered at her from the doorway. Clara just stared at the open laptop screen, the article flashing the headline about a plagiarism scandal. The author...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 114 words

The vibrant colors of the bookstore suddenly seemed garish, the smells of paper and ink, nauseating. James stared at the cover of the new Alistair Davies novel, the author he’d followed since his te...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 98 words

The phone slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the hardwood floor. Eleanor didn't react. She stared at the screen, her eyes wide, unblinking. The accusations against her favorite author, Charles ...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 117 words

The party atmosphere swirled around Leo, but he was isolated, a silent island in a sea of celebration. He held the article printed from the internet in his hand. The author he admired, Penelope Bellwe...

Someone learns their favorite author plagiarized their stories 121 words

The screen flickered. The accusations against the author, Iris Thorne, hung in the air. Leo, eyes glued to the screen, felt the familiar ache in his chest. His own work. Plagiarized. He let out a sho...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 166 words

The email shimmered on the screen, the words a blurry jumble. Amelia squinted, reading it again, then again. Her breath hitched. Her fingers, usually nimble and quick on the keyboard, fumbled as she t...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 126 words

He stared at the university bursar, the man's words echoing in his ears. "There's been a mix-up, Mr. Davis," the bursar had said, his voice clipped and efficient. David’s jaw was clamped, his muscle...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 122 words

The letter lay on the kitchen table, the crisp white paper mocking her. Sarah had been so jubilant when she’d received the acceptance email. Now, the official correspondence detailing the erasure of...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 118 words

From her vantage point in the coffee shop, Maya looked at the statement from the university. Her vision was a little blurred. The latte she'd been meticulously crafting earlier was now cold. The famil...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 119 words

The phone call ended, and Alex lowered the receiver, the plastic cool against his clammy hand. He didn't move for a long moment, simply staring at the wall. The dean's explanation rang in his head: a ...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 104 words

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chen," the financial aid officer had said, her voice gentle, almost apologetic. But the words were daggers. The scholarship had been intended for another student with the same last nam...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 96 words

The rejection notice lay open on the desk, the harsh sunlight illuminating the cruel words. The scholarship committee had made an error. The funding had already been assigned to another student. Evely...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 103 words

The university's legal counsel had been clear, crisp, and cold. The scholarship was not rightfully hers. The mistake was regrettable. The funds would be reassigned. Sofia felt her heart hammering agai...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 98 words

He had just come from the library. The message was awaiting him in his email. Mark's jaw had dropped. The scholarship he had depended on had been given to another student. He felt a strange tingling i...

A student finds out their scholarship was meant for someone else 103 words

"There's been a mistake," the advisor said. Her words were gentle, but the news was not. The scholarship was, in fact, not for her. Maria’s breath caught in her throat. She closed her eyes. When sh...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 84 words

My hands were shaking as I scrolled. Sarah’s carefully curated Instagram feed, all sunshine and perfectly styled smoothies, suddenly shattered. There, under a username I didn't recognize, was a diff...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 96 words

A cold sweat slicked my palms. I’d stumbled upon the account while trying to clear space on the family iPad. It was a TikTok profile, labeled with a string of numbers that seemed to mock my clueless...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 77 words

The world seemed to tilt. I’d been so proud of Emily, her straight A's and her involvement in the debate club. Then I found it: a locked Tumblr blog, filled with poetry I found both raw and unsettli...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 78 words

It felt as though the floor had given way beneath my feet. I’d been checking my husband’s email – a terrible habit, I know – when I saw it. A series of messages, late-night exchanges with a wo...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 90 words

My stomach twisted into a knot. I’d seen the notification on her phone, a quick glimpse of a message, and my curiosity had gotten the better of me. The message led me to an anonymous account on a me...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 66 words

My jaw ached. I’d found the account while attempting to troubleshoot her computer. It was a gaming stream on Twitch, and my daughter was the streamer. She’d always been shy, quiet, and now, here s...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 84 words

A high-pitched ringing filled my ears. I’d wanted to see what my son was up to, so I took his iPad while he was out of the room. It only took moments to find the hidden account on Discord. The serve...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 72 words

The blood drained from my face. I'd been browsing through my phone, and noticed a strange contact in my daughter's phone. Curiosity, a very destructive emotion, led me to a secret account, and then to...

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 76 words

I felt a chill creep up my spine. My wife had always been secretive about her phone, and I knew why now. On her private Instagram account, I saw photos of a man I didn't know, places I had never been....

Someone discovers their teenager has a secret social media account 83 words

A wave of heat flushed through me. I discovered the account while glancing through the history of her internet browser. It was a YouTube channel, and she was the star. The videos featured her, styled ...