I frowned. And how not?! I just received a letter. A letter!

I rubbed my eyes. Not gently at all. Then I started blinking to restore my focus and... 

Nope, I wasn't hallucinating. I pinched myself. Ouch!! Or dreaming. 

I rubbed the spot on my arm I had pinched. Pfft, that would leave a bruise! 

Anyway.

A letter had fallen into my apartment from the mail slot. The mail slot had never served as anything but to let cold air in when someone had opened the window in the outer hallway. But now a letter had come through it. A letter! 

Who sends letters nowadays? You want to contact someone you send an email, a text, you don't send letters!

I shook my head. That was not important.

I bent down to take the letter, and my unused muscles protested I was getting them out of their lethargy state.

I grabbed it and straightened up.

I sighed heavily and examined the envelope.

In spite of the fact that it was bright red and physical not on screen (agh, just forget that, Rose!), everything else looked... normal. It had a stamp and an address. My name and address was neatly written on it. Oh! But instead of a return address (it should have one, right?), there was a date in the top left corner.

See, that's the problem with this outdated stuff, you're always missing something. If it was an email, as it normally is, it would have the address of the addressee and the sender, and the date, and it wouldn't have startled me like that. But also... I wasn't very likely to read it. My colleagues taught me not to open every email, only those from people I know.

"Mmm," I sighed, "I see why they sent it the old fashioned way," I concluded.

I brought the envelope closer to my eyes. The red colour was too distracting, and I couldn't read the date right away. But...

Oh!

It was dated - January 25th. I furrowed my brows. 

Why it took it so long to get to me? 

Now it really piqued my curiosity - late date and unknown sender. "Well, I guess the only way to find out who sent it is to open it and read it."

I suddenly felt a little more energetic and...excited. And that hadn't happened in quite some time.

I turned around and walked back to the couch. I took off the sweat-soaked tank top and grabbed another one thrown on the armrest, sniffed it, decided it didn't smell bad and put it on, and over it - my favorite inky green soft and loose sweater, which wasn't as loose as when I bought it in December, probably I had gained weight. Oh, well, whatever! Then I swapped the shorts I'd been sleeping in with leggings, slipped my bare feet into the fluffy house slippers I'd tossed by the coffee table yesterday or whenever. I took the envelope from the back of the couch where I had left it before I changed and trudged towards the kitchen.

My kitchen was equipped with a kitchenette with mini fridge and cabinets on the left and a dining table with six chairs, occupying part of the center and the right end of the room. There were two double-glazed windows on the opposite wall of the door. One was smaller and located near the kitchenette, and the other took up all the space in front of the table.

It was the brightest room in my suite, and I used to love sitting here working or reading.

Entering the kitchen, I tossed the envelope on the table and headed for espresso machine. If I were to read the letter in it, I would need something to fully wake me up and wash the daze out of my mind. And what could be better than a cup of coffee, right?

I filled the container with water, put in a capsule, took a mug from the cabinet above and placed it in its spot, ready to be filled with hot liquid heaven. I pushed the start button and the machine awoke from its long sleep with a soft hum. 

Soon enough I was holding in my hands a mug of steaming hot liquid whose tantalising aroma have always filled my mouth with saliva.

"Mmm," a content sigh slipped through my lips and much to my surprise the corners of my mouth lifted in a smile. How little one needs to allow joy to blossom in one's heart.

I settled on the table with the window light coming from my left, sipped my hot coffee, and enjoyed this peaceful moment. Something I hadn't done for quite some time.

And when I felt ready to move on, I placed the mug on the wooden table and reached for the red envelope, which looked even brighter because of the direct light pouring in from the windows.

"Well, it's time to find out what you are and who you're from!" I whispered to myself, then took the knife I had brought with me to the table and ripped the envelope open.