Gemotions

The card was a smear of amateurish glitter and a sickly-sweet cartoon depiction of a kitten wearing a party hat. It lay nestled amongst the bills and junk mail, an unwanted intruder in the crisp order of the day. Sarah snatched it up with the tips of her fingers, as if afraid it might contaminate the other contents of the mailbox.

She held the card at arm's length, her nose wrinkling ever so slightly. The cheap paper smelled faintly of stale perfume and something else... something vaguely cloying, like overripe fruit. A wave of nausea rippled through her.

“Who in their right mind...” she muttered under her breath, tossing the card into the overflowing recycling bin without a second glance. It landed with a soft, pathetic thud amongst the crumpled flyers and pizza boxes.