Gemotions

Sarah slammed the laptop shut. Her head throbbed. "Mediocre," the critic had written, "a pale imitation." Sunlight, usually a welcome companion in the morning, felt like an assault on her eyes. She wanted to burrow back under the covers of her bed, back to the world of dreams. The phone buzzed. A reservation request. She ignored it, letting the silence of the apartment settle around her like a blanket. The sharp, persistent ache in her lower back mirrored the dullness in her mind. She felt as if she had been running a marathon, without ever beginning to move.