Gemotions

The chill wind nipped at Amelia's exposed skin as she trudged down the path. A single card waited in the mailbox, a bright, cheerful birthday greeting. She didn’t know how she felt. Empty, perhaps.

Inside, the card felt like an accusation. She knew no one had sent it. She knew it had been a mistake from the delivery service, or some other such mundane explanation. Her apartment, usually a refuge, now felt cramped. The walls seemed to close in.

She opened the card, read the generic message, and then placed it on the bookshelf, amongst the rest of her books. She wasn’t hungry.