Roger Madison stepped out of his car and smiled broadly. It wasn't often he got out of work early, but after staying late the night before his boss had been pretty lenient and let him have the afternoon off. And here he was, home even before the kids.
He walked across the lawn to the mailbox. Bills, bills, credit card statements, and something else. A small envelope, which he would've missed if it wasn't such a bright pink. It looked like it contained a card, like an invitation or something.
As he entered the house, he threw the rest of the mail on the coffee table and inspected the pink envelope more closely. It was totally blank, not even a stamp or a return address, yet somehow ended up in his mailbox. Well, he thought, there's no address, so I might as well see what's inside.
Roger tore open the envelope. There was a small card inside, but it seemed stuck. He gave one swift tug and the card came out, followed by a cloud of brown dust which hit him square in the face. He instantly coughed and wheezed, his eyes watered. What was that junk? It seemed like some kind of pollen, or spores.
After a couple minutes, his eyes still stung a bit. But he was able to wipe the tears from his face and get a look at the card.
