The Suitcase in the Clearing

The suitcase was just there, in the middle of the forest, as if it had been waiting for us.

Liam, my brother, and I stopped dead in our tracks, our breath catching. The rich scent of eucalyptus hung in the damp air, and the late-afternoon sun cast long shadows through the towering gum trees. The season was changing, and the cool autumn breeze was pleasant.

We had only moved here a week ago, forced into this quiet country town after our parents’ business collapsed. They said this was the town where they grew up and met, before we were born. Dad had gone to get groceries. Mum was back at the house, humming as she cooked dinner, with no idea that her children were about to uncover something that had been buried for a long time.

The suitcase was old. Its leather was cracked, and its brass clasps were dull with age. It looked as if no one had touched it for years, yet it had been placed so carefully, so obviously, right in the centre of the clearing.

“What do you think’s inside?” Liam whispered, so quietly I could barely hear him over the rustling leaves, as if he were afraid someone might tell his teacher.

Something about the suitcase looked strangely familiar. I stepped forward, my heart pounding. “Look, there’s a name on the top!”

Lesley Lim.

I gasped and stared at Liam. He let out a short burst of a scream. “What!”

…what happens next? You decide!