Gemotions

"A birthday card? For me?" I said aloud, my voice echoing in the quiet of my apartment. I hadn't had a birthday card in years. Not since Mom passed. I was a little… confused.

I looked around my apartment, everything was as it should be. Dishes in the sink, laundry piled up, just like any other day. I slowly opened the envelope, the paper thin and cheap. Inside, a picture of a clown with a huge grin and a message that read, “Hope your day is filled with joy!” The card felt…off.

I sat down heavily on the sofa. My heart was pounding in my chest. Who had sent this? Why? I turned it over and over in my hands, searching for a clue, a name, anything. Nothing. The silence in the room was deafening.