Unblock ((better)) Here

You're not blocked , she told herself. You're scared.

She wrote: The moth kept trying.

By midnight, she had six pages. None of them were for the manuscript. None of them mattered. Except they did—because somewhere between the first sentence and the sixth, the knot behind her ribs had loosened. unblock

Claire pushed back from the desk, the chair's wheels squeaking across the hardwood. The apartment felt smaller tonight—bookshelves leaning inward, ceiling lowering by the inch. Her manuscript sat at page ninety-four, same as last month. Same as last year. You're not blocked , she told herself

Claire set down the glass. Walked back to the desk. Didn't sit. You're not blocked