Literary Magazine Exercise

She opened the mailbox to find a single sealed envelope. Her hands shook as she relocked the box, mysterious envelope in hand. The handwriting seemed familiar to her but there was not return address so she could not be sure. When she opened her apartment door, a sense of foreboding was palpable. She sunk into the couch, her mind unaware of the unidentifiable sounds in the street below her window. She fingered the envelope slowly, examining its shape, size, and weight. The stamp pictured a rare bird she did not recognize. Her head was pounding with anxiety as she flipped the envelope over, preparing to slip her finger under the flap to finally open it. A ringing phone in the kitchen frightened her and caused her to slice her poised finger on the envelope's edge. She took a breath and refocused. The envelope contained a single sheet of white paper with seven words. The broken clock could not tell her how long she sat, rereading the note: "I knonw your secret, my lovely dear."

The following morning he found her door partially open. As it squeaked open, he saw that the apartment was entirely empty, save a single piece of white paper lying in the middle of the floor. He picked it up and read the words: "Secrets are glorified lies, I fear."