A Space So Full

Here's another Figment.com challenge...construct a tale surrounding an object in your house. My object is a vintage suitcase.

The only unnecessary object in Nora’s guestroom was an ancient brown suitcase. Tiny flakes of its leather occasionally dropped to the floor, like a snake shedding old skin, but the case had nothing new to replace its loss. It was one of those objects inherited by family, the kind that meant something because it meant something rather than forming any personal connection with the next new owner.

Nora thought the suitcase was hideous and beautiful. It reminded her of death, of all those who were gone now ugly. But at the same time, the suitcase had seen much more than death. It had belonged to Nora’s great-grandmother, Anya, who emigrated from Poland before the horrible war.

The case was the only thing remaining of Poland. There was nothing inside it anymore, but it had once held Anya’s only possessions—a change of clothing, a recipe book, and two photographs. The black and white image showed the grim faces of Anya’s siblings, the ones who didn’t make it out, but the color picture…that one was different.

The face trapped within smiled as if there was nothing bad on Earth. He smiled at Anya, daring her to break her promise and stay with her family, a hideous threat looming over them all. But she didn’t. She kept her word and packed the suitcase, clutching its leather-wrapped handle across two continents until she saw the smile in person once again.