Gemotions

The card sat on the doormat, a single beacon of unwelcome cheer. Amelia picked it up gingerly, as if it might bite. She didn't recognize the handwriting, a swirl of elegant loops that seemed to twist with a cruel amusement. *Happy Birthday!*

The house felt too large, the rooms echoing with a loneliness that vibrated in her bones. She moved through the spaces like a ghost, her footsteps silent on the polished wood floors. Her hands felt clammy, her palms itching.

She dropped the card on the antique desk, its polished surface reflecting the faint light from the window. The words seemed to jump off the page, each one a tiny barb. Her heart raced, a frantic drumbeat against her ribs.