Gemotions

The email sat in Amelia's inbox, bold and accusatory. Professor Harding's subject line read, “Important Announcement.” Her fingers, suddenly clumsy, fumbled at the mouse as she opened it. The words blurred at first, a panicked haze obscuring the news. He was leaving. Next semester. She re-read the sentence, her breath catching in her throat. The carefully constructed world she'd been building, the dissertation, the future, felt suddenly shaky, like the ground had given way beneath her feet.

She stared at the wall, the posters of abstract art beginning to swim, the bright colors losing their vibrancy. A coldness settled in her stomach, making her want to curl in on herself. She felt a need to disappear.

The coffee cup, half-full on her desk, suddenly seemed heavy, like the entire weight of her academic career rested in its ceramic form. The warmth she'd been expecting was gone.