Gemotions

He stared out the window, the cityscape a blur of movement and activity. Daniel was glued to his seat, all impetus gone. The anticipation of seeing his essay was replaced by a hollow ache, the knowledge of exposure a heavy weight. The publication had come out that morning.

He had a report due, errands to run, a mountain of unanswered emails, but none of these tasks even registered as a possibility. He sat motionless, the world outside a distant hum. Everything seemed to demand an extraordinary amount of effort, leaving him feeling utterly drained.

His gaze drifted to his laptop. The college's literary journal was open. The pages beckoned. He took a long, shallow breath, then slowly, reluctantly, clicked on the link.