Gemotions

The email notification chimed, and Daniel knew, even before he read it, what it would say. A deep, bone-deep tiredness settled over him. He was standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring at a half-eaten bowl of cereal.

He dragged a hand across his face, scrubbing at his eyes. The cereal, now soggy, seemed to reflect his own state: waterlogged and useless. A heavy stillness descended upon him. He didn’t want to do anything, not even the simplest task.

He let the spoon fall into the bowl with a dull clatter. The scholarship was his only lifeline, and now… he just felt done. The thought of the future, the endless string of financial burdens, loomed before him, and the weight of it felt impossible to bear.