Gemotions

"Another coffee?" Janice's coworker, Mark, asked. She just shook her head, unable to manage a reply. She was in her cubicle, the same space she'd occupied for five years. The partitions seemed to be closing in on her. The air tasted stale, thick with the scent of old paper and lukewarm coffee. Her enthusiasm had slowly and steadily evaporated.

She was summoned to the manager's office. She was being moved to the social media team. A welcome change, her manager chirped. Janice merely nodded, the usual robotic response.

The walk to the new office felt like trudging through quicksand. The constant stream of ideas, the constant need to be 'on,' felt like an impossible burden.