Gemotions

The silence in the bookstore was deafening. Alex stared at the handwritten note taped to Mr. Fitzwilliam’s office door: "Closed. Leaving the country. Goodbye." He felt his pulse quicken, his heart beat erratically. He had planned to discuss his own writing and receive some guidance.

He stepped back from the door, his throat suddenly tight. The bookstore, usually a haven of comforting whispers, now seemed to echo with the absence of Fitzwilliam's presence. He was so used to seeing him, hearing his opinion, that this feeling was foreign to him. He found himself unable to breathe.

He felt a deep sense of loss, a disorientation that made him want to flee. The thought of facing the writing process without Fitzwilliam's wisdom was daunting. He closed his eyes. The world had just grown vast and uncertain.