Gemotions

The card, a garish explosion of glitter and cartoon balloons, sat mocking atop a pile of bills. Amelia snatched it up, her fingers curling slightly in a claw-like grip. Another saccharine sentiment, no doubt, from someone she barely tolerated. The handwriting, a childish scrawl, was unfamiliar. She crushed the card in her fist, the cheap paper crinkling under the pressure.

She tossed it, a useless projectile, towards the overflowing trash can. Missed. It landed on the floor, the bright colors jarring against the muted tones of her meticulously decorated living room. With a sigh that sounded more like a hiss, she bent and retrieved it, her jaw tight. She threw it back in the direction of the bin, and this time hit the mark.

A smug satisfaction settled over her as she pictured the card, crumpled and forgotten, amidst the junk mail and pizza boxes. A world in which she never had to think about it again would be a good world.