The Past Is In the Past
(or so you thought)
It could have been any other day. It should have been any other day. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The date was the 25th of May, 2015, and it was so mundane you should have known your life was going to explode around you. You woke up. You did whatever you did; you dropped the kids off at school; you pushed numbers around a computer screen at work; you sat on your sofa looking for jobs in the paper. It didn’t matter. Normalcy was the word of the day. Even the weather was bland, gently cloudy but, apart from that, beyond note.
And then, the briefcase. Quite how it got inside your house you’ll never know, but it’s lying there on its side precisely one foot away from the door obviously so that you would find it. There’s no evidence of your door being tampered. Who could have left it there?
You’re going to tell someone. You have to. You’re living in the modern world with terrorists and psychopaths running loose. It’s the only responsible thing to do.
... but you’re just going to take a quick peek inside first. Obviously.
You scurry into a room where you can investigate properly and you don’t know why, but your heartrate jumps up to the point where you can hear the blood rushing past the veins in your ears. Of all the things you were expecting to find, a letter, your own passport, and roughly five thousand dollars’ worth of your native currency hadn’t really scored highly. The party popper was a complete curveball, however.
Regardless of what you investigate first, inevitably your trembling hands prise open the letter from its envelope. It actually takes your eyes a moment to adjust to the cursive writing, but the penmanship is exquisite. It reads:
Dear ______
Congratulations! You have been chosen as the choice receiver of an all-expenses paid trip to the Wolf Manor! Located in Bavaria, Germany, this estate has been passed down from generation to generation. As part of the Wolf family's tradition, a lucky few has been selected to stay at the luxury home for ten days, from the 11th of June to the 21st, to celebrate the Summer Solstice.
Enclosed you will find your passport and some money that we hope will cover your expenses: in particular, be advised that there will be many events hosted at Wolf Manor over your stay and, as such, we recommend purchasing primarily formal wear. You should also find attached flight details: a private jet will be issued, and therefore a ticket is unnecessary. ID, such as the passport which will already be present, is all that will be required.
We hope you will accept our offer, as we very much look forward to meeting with you.
Sincerely,
Michael Aust
Secretary of The Wolf Estate
You’re not going to go. You’re not stupid. It’s a scam. But what sort of scam sends you five thousand smackers up-front...? As you sit there, silently surrounded by plane tickets and passports and a ridiculous amount of cash, the question lurks in the air like a thick mist: do you accept?
