The depth of short stories and micro-fiction 2

Untethered Emotions

Kaela pushed open the door to the emotion emporium, the familiar scent of jasmine and lavender hitting her like a comforting hug. She was used to the place, had been coming here since she was little. Her parents, like most, had purchased her emotions for her. The joy of a new toy, the thrill of a victory, the comfort of a hug, all carefully chosen and packaged, ready to be plugged into her neural implant. It was a world where emotions were a commodity, a readily available convenience.

Today, she was there for anger. It was tricky emotion, required for a crucial negotiation with her employer, a powerful corporation that controlled the city's water supply. Kaela was a negotiator, a skilled communicator, and anger – carefully dosed, of course – Would give her the edge.

The Emporium was humming with activity. People browsed shelves overflowing with small vials, each containing a meticulously labelled emotion: love, fear, sadness, contentment, even the rare and expensive, 'euphoria'. Kaela walked through the aisles, her gaze scanning until she found the anger section. The vials were a dull red, their contents swirling ominously.

She selected two vials, a mild anger and a stronger one for the final push and headed to the counter. The cashier, a woman with eyes that seemed perpetually sad, handed her the vials with a practiced smile.

"Anything else?" she asked, her voice flat and emotionless.

"No, thank you," Kaela replied, slipping the vials into her pocket.

Back at her apartment, she plugged the anger vials into her implant. A surge of heat shot through her, followed by a prickling sensation. The world sharpened, her senses heightened. She felt the familiar knot of frustration in her stomach, the quickening of her pulse.

The negotiation went exactly as planned. Kaela used her carefully calibrated anger to exert pressure on the corporation representative. She felt a strange satisfaction, a sense of power she hadn't experienced before. The deal went through, securing a crucial water supply contract for her company.

As she walked home, a sense of unease crept in. The anger lingered, a dull ache in her chest. It wasn't the calculated, controlled anger she had purchased, it was something deeper, something...unfamiliar. It felt raw, almost primal.

That night, she couldn't sleep. She lay in bed, replaying the day's events in her mind, a new, unsettling feeling bubbling within her. The anger wasn't just a tool, it felt like something she was experiencing, not just consuming.

The next day, she felt a strange pull towards a part of the city she had never been before - a forgotten section beyond the gleaming towers and manicured gardens. It was a place where people lived in ramshackle houses, where the air smelled of damp earth and burnt wood, where children played in the streets, their laughter unfiltered, unpurchased.

As she walked, her senses alive with the sights and sounds of this forgotten world, she encountered a woman selling homemade pastries. Kaela, on a whim, bought a warm cinnamon roll, the simple act triggering an unexpected wave of...joy. It wasn't the manufactured joy she was used to, it was something deeper, more authentic.

She spent the day exploring this hidden world, talking to people, listening to their stories, and for the first time, she felt a genuine connection, a sense of belonging. She felt emotions she had never experienced before, not the carefully measured, controlled emotions she was accustomed to, but raw, unadulterated feelings that stirred something deep within her.

That night, she went back to the Emporium, but this time she didn't buy anything. She stood in the aisles, surrounded by the vials of manufactured emotions, and felt a profound sense of emptiness. She realized that the emotions she had been buying were hollow imitations, mere shadows of the real thing.

Over the next few weeks, Kaela continued to explore the hidden world, immersing herself in its rhythms. She started to feel a sense of purpose, a desire to help the people she had met. She began to question the world she had always known, the world where emotions were commodities, a world that felt increasingly sterile and artificial.

One evening, she met a young man named Liam who lived in the hidden world. He was a gifted artist, creating breathtaking sculptures from recycled materials. As they talked, Kaela found herself drawn to his passion, his raw enthusiasm, his genuine emotions. They spent hours talking, sharing their hopes and dreams, their fears and insecurities.

In his presence, the anger that had been simmering within her since the negotiation subsided, replaced by a newfound sense of peace, a feeling of being seen and understood. She felt a connection with him, a shared sense of purpose, a sense of belonging she had never experienced before.

Kaela began to see the world differently. The controlled, artificial world she had always known started to feel like a cage, while the hidden world, with its raw emotions and genuine connections, felt like freedom.

She knew she couldn't stay in this hidden world forever, but she also couldn't go back to the life she left behind. She had found something real, something true, and she wouldn't let it go.

Kaela decided to use her skills as a negotiator to fight for those who lived in the forgotten world. She knew it would be a long and difficult journey, but she was no longer afraid. She had discovered the power of genuine emotions, the power of human connection, and she was determined to use that power to make a difference.