I accidentally left my receipt at the self-checkout machine. A woman rushed over, handing it to me with a warm smile. “You dropped this,” she said softly. I thanked her and left, thinking nothing of it. When I got home and began unpacking my groceries, I noticed something odd. Scrawled on the back of the receipt in hurried handwriting were the words: “Check your car trunk.”
My heart pounded. I froze for a moment, unsure what to do, then grabbed my phone and a flashlight before heading outside. As I cautiously opened the trunk, my breath caught. Nestled among the grocery bags was a small black backpack I had never seen before. Fear rushed through me.
