Gemotions

The afternoon sun streamed through the window, highlighting every speck of dust in the small apartment. Finn felt a familiar knot of discomfort forming in his stomach. He was meeting his girlfriend's family for the first time that night. He'd decided to read a book, something intellectual, to appear cultured. The chosen volume, a dog-eared copy of "Hamlet," felt heavy in his hands. He'd barely made it through the first act when a brittle, yellowed envelope slid from between the pages. It was sealed, addressed in elegant script. He pushed it to the side, then immediately picked it back up. He had the unsettling feeling he was being assessed.