Gemotions

The mailbox door clanged shut, a sound that usually meant mundane mail. This time, however, the thud was accompanied by a flutter. It was a card. Her breath caught in her throat. Her blood ran cold.

She held the card aloft, squinting in the afternoon sun. Plain white, no frills, no indication of who it was from. A picture of a balloon. A sense of the uncanny rose within her, like a dark tide. She'd been feeling a little fragile, recently.

She felt a flicker of fear. She cautiously returned to her house, scanning the street as if anticipating something. She slowly closed the door and turned the lock, the click echoing in the sudden quiet.