The Pause Button

When the email arrived at 9:03 AM, he knew immediately he had attached the wrong file. An irreversible, career-ending mistake. The world outside his desk immediately faded. The chair stopped squeaking. The coffee machine ceased its sputtering. Time, he thought, must have encountered a glitch somewhere. He closed his eyes. If I could just rewind. Then he opened them. 9:03 AM. The email was still in the drafts folder. His hand trembled above the 'Send' button. He deleted the faulty attachment. He breathed. The coffee machine started sputtering again. He hadn't known life had an undo button, but he resolved never to forget it.

A heartbeat pulse by Christian van Gils