Gemotions

The sterile white walls of the hospital room seemed to close in on Clara. She stared at the intricate diagrams, her vision blurring. She had spent the entire morning hunched over her work, the details of the research swirling into an indistinguishable mass. Her head felt heavy, and a dull ache throbbed behind her eyes. She rubbed her temples, attempting to alleviate the pressure, and stifled a gigantic yawn.

Her supervisor, Dr. Ramirez, rushed into the room, her face a mask of consternation. “Clara, we have a problem. A very serious problem. Come see this.”

Dr. Ramirez led her to a different room, where another researcher’s project lay on the screen, matching her own down to the smallest detail. Clara’s body felt like it was suddenly filled with concrete.