The Object in the Bag

It started with a small, crescent-shaped object I found inside a thrift-store handbag — beige, soft, and strangely personal.

I bought the bag because it reminded me of my mother, but this hidden thing unsettled me.

At work, no one could guess what it was. “Maybe it’s some kind of orthopedic thing,” said Mark.

“Looks like part of a bra insert,” whispered Nina. Nothing fit. Later, I discovered online that it resembled “invisible comfort inserts for heels.”

A boutique owner named Rosa examined it and frowned. “These are custom-made,” she said.

“They’re always sold in pairs. People don’t lose just one.”

That night, I searched the bag again — and found a note: “Meet me where we last stood — bring the other one.”

Days later, I saw a missing poster for Veronica Hale, a fashion consultant who vanished months earlier.

Her handbag—the same one—had been donated by mistake.

Inside the object was a marking: V.H. 02.

I returned the bag to the thrift store. The next morning, it was gone.

Some things, I realized, aren’t meant to be found.