Charlotte's fingers drummed against the kitchen counter as she stared out the window, her mind a thousand miles away. It was a typical Wednesday afternoon, with the warm sun casting a lazy glow over the quiet neighborhood. The sound of children's laughter and the occasional bark of a dog created a soothing background hum.
As she stood there, lost in thought, the mailman walked up the path, a handful of letters and bills in his hand. Charlotte's gaze flicked to the mail, and her eyebrows arched in surprise. Who sent mail these days? It was an anachronism, a relic of a bygone era. Email was the norm, the preferred method of communication in this digital age.
The mailman handed her a cream-colored envelope with her name scribbled on it in elegant calligraphy. Charlotte's fingers brushed against the smooth paper as she took the envelope, a shiver of curiosity running down her spine.