Gemotions

The wind howled, rattling the windows of her apartment. Emily shivered, pulling her sweater tighter. The card lay open on the kitchen table, illuminated by the flickering light of the gas stove. She kept rereading the short message: "Wishing you the best, today and always." Her pulse quickened.

She felt a strange disconnect, as if the world were slightly out of focus. She went to pour herself a cup of tea but found she couldn't remember where she put the tea bags. Her breath hitched. The mundane details of her routine had become impossible to grasp.

Every creak of the building, every gust of wind, amplified her growing sense of vulnerability. It was as if someone was watching, waiting. The anonymity of the greeting made it worse; she was vulnerable.