Gemotions

The tears came unbidden, hot and stinging, blurring her vision. She sat in the middle of her bedroom floor, surrounded by piles of books. The books were her treasures. They used to provide the comfort of friendship, but now they felt alien and distant.

The image of her favorite author, the woman she had idolized, now flickered in her mind’s eye. The illusion had been shattered, the image tarnished. She felt betrayed.

She curled up, arms wrapped around herself, trying to make herself small, to disappear. The silence of the room, once a comfort, now felt oppressive. She was trapped, and the walls were closing in.