Gemotions

The delivery man was gone before she could even thank him. He’d simply placed the daffodils on her doorstep and vanished. Now, inside the apartment, a sense of disquiet settled over Maya.

The yellow of the flowers felt garish, somehow mocking. She kept her back pressed against the door as she scanned the rooms. Each shadow held a hidden threat. Every rustle of the leaves outside was a whispered secret.

She quickly hid the flowers in the back of her closet, burying them beneath a pile of winter coats. She wouldn't look at them. Wouldn't acknowledge them. She was certain they were a prelude to something truly terrible.