the mailbox
Opening your eyes, you find yourself standing a few feet away from your mailbox. It’s open but you don’t remember opening it. In fact, you can’t even remember how you got there. You try to recall the events that led you to this moment, but there’s a pounding in the back of your head that's making it difficult for you to think straight. You begin looking around and your confusion continues to grow as you take in your surroundings. To your right you see an unusual amount of cars lined up next to the curb and in your driveway. Your eyes are going in and out of focus, but you’re able to recognize one of the cars as your cousin’s. You wonder why she didn’t call ahead to tell you that she was coming to visit. Turning slightly to your left, your gaze travels to the pile of mail inside of your mailbox. Something in the pile stands out to you; a letter. The pounding in your head increases as you step forward to retrieve the letter and you wonder where the headache even came from. The letter now in your grasp, you see that there is no return address and you get an eerie feeling that something is wrong. Quickly, you turn around to make sure there’s no one behind you, and you begin making your way towards the front door of your house. As you cross the lawn you open the letter and begin to read it.