Gemotions

The morning had been a struggle. The thought of coffee was the only thing that had dragged Arthur from bed. He shuffled into the kitchen, the weight of the day already pressing on his chest. His usual morning routine, a vibrant dance of efficiency, felt like wading through thick mud.

The email from his boss, however, snapped him upright. "Come to my office immediately," it read. Panic, a cold fist, clenched in his stomach. He’d barely touched the marketing strategy report. He dragged himself to the office, feet heavy, mind numb.

His boss, a perpetually cheerful woman named Barbara, greeted him with a strange look. On the screen was Arthur’s project proposal. Beside it, another, identical proposal. "Care to explain, Arthur?" she asked, her voice laced with an unfamiliar edge.