Gemotions

The rejection letter from the gallery was still burning in my pocket. I’d poured my heart and soul into this, my work. That’s when I saw it. On the woman behind the counter at the diner. The very design they had rejected – my ‘Rising Phoenix’ – emblazoned on her forearm.

Every muscle in my body seized up. I walked towards her. My mind raced. I was ready to do anything to find out where she got it. The waitress looked up, startled. The world seemed to shrink around me.

I gripped the edge of the counter, fighting to control the tremors in my hands. The heat of the coffee, the smell of frying bacon – all seemed distant, irrelevant. I wanted answers.