Gemotions

The card was tucked between a flyer for a pizza place and a utility bill. Amelia stared at it, her brow furrowing. It was a simple, store-bought card, the kind with generic balloons and a cheerful "Happy Birthday!" written on the front. But the absence of a name, the stark white inside devoid of any message save for the printed sentiment, threw her. She usually got a call from her mom, a text from her sister. She hadn't mentioned her birthday to anyone else.

She stepped back inside, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across her living room. With a sigh, Amelia placed the card on the kitchen counter, next to the half-eaten loaf of sourdough. She went through the motions of making tea, her movements slow, deliberate. The quiet tick of the clock on the wall seemed to amplify the silence in the house.

Her mind raced, cycling through a list of potential well-wishers. A forgotten secret admirer? A kind neighbor? Or was it some sort of odd, inexplicable mix-up? She poured the tea and sat down at the table, picking up the card again, examining it from every angle, searching for a clue.