Gemotions

The afternoon sun cast long shadows as she found the card, sitting in the sun-baked mailbox. Her birthday was tomorrow. The thought of it had been sitting heavily on her mind for weeks.

She went back inside and sat on her porch swing, the rhythmic movement failing to soothe the turmoil within. She thought about her childhood, of the joy and laughter that had once filled her life.

She traced her finger along the blank inside of the card. The silence of the house felt deafening. She felt the weight of her solitude, and the ache of all the years that had passed, like a physical burden.