Gemotions

“Welcome aboard!” The words felt hollow to Emily’s ears. She was now in the human resources department, a world away from the intimate knowledge of the books she loved at the publishing house. The smell of fresh ink and paper was replaced with the antiseptic scent of a sterile office.

She kept straightening the pencils on her desk, aligning them perfectly. This order felt insufficient. The constant stream of emails, the meetings, the bureaucratic procedures left her feeling drained.

She felt a persistent pressure in her temples. She missed the quiet hours of reading, the tangible satisfaction of holding a finished book. She missed the people she had worked with for so long. She kept replaying the conversations in her mind, like a worn record.