Sarah had always been a meticulously organized person. Her home was a testament to neatness, her schedule planned down to the minute, and her car… well, her car was usually just as pristine. That’s why the sight of her husband Mark’s car with its trunk stubbornly shut for days, despite her gentle prodding, was starting to get under her skin.
“Seriously, Mark, what’s in there?” she’d asked him on Tuesday, trying to peek as he quickly moved a laundry basket in front of it. “It’s been closed since Saturday, and I swear I saw you putting something huge in there.”
Mark, usually an open book, had just smiled evasively. “Just some stuff for work, honey. Nothing for you to worry about.” He’d given her a quick kiss and hurried out the door.
By Wednesday, Sarah was growing suspicious. Mark was acting strangely, a little too jovial, a little too quick to change the subject whenever the trunk came up. Her imagination, usually so practical, started to run wild. Was it a secret project? A surprise gift he was terrible at hiding? Or something more… concerning?
Thursday morning, Mark had an early meeting. As he pulled out of the driveway, Sarah noticed he’d forgotten his briefcase. A perfect excuse! She grabbed it and hurried to her own car, intending to drive it to his office. But as she walked past his car, the glint of something metallic on the back seat caught her eye. It was his spare car key. And on the same keyring, a small, unassuming key she didn’t recognize. A trunk key?
Her heart began to pound with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. She knew it was wrong to snoop, but her curiosity had reached an unbearable peak. With a quick glance around to make sure the neighbors weren’t watching, she approached the trunk. The small key slid into the lock with a satisfying click.
Taking a deep breath, Sarah slowly lifted the trunk lid. She braced herself for anything – a new gadget, a pile of dirty clothes, maybe even something utterly bizarre. But what she saw inside wasn’t any of those.
Inside the trunk, nestled amongst soft blankets and surrounded by fairy lights, was a meticulously crafted, miniature garden.
