The Storage Room
On Sunday afternoon, just before 4:00 p.m., Maya went down to the shared storage room in her apartment building to get a suitcase. The room is usually quiet and rarely used except before holidays or travel seasons. When she opened the door, she immediately noticed that the overhead light was already on.
This caught her attention because the light is controlled by a motion sensor that normally turns off after just a few minutes. Someone must have been there recently.
Maya walked to the shelf where she keeps her suitcase. It was still in the correct spot, but the small combination lock she always uses was unfastened. She is careful about locking it, even though there is nothing valuable inside. She clearly remembered clicking it shut the last time she put the suitcase away.
When she opened it, most things looked normal. However, one folded jacket was now placed neatly on top instead of packed flat at the bottom, where she always keeps it. Maya paused, trying to remember if she had rearranged it herself, but no clear memory came to mind.
Only three other residents share the storage room. Ben often reorganizes shared spaces and believes things should be easy to access for everyone. Lila once borrowed space in Maya’s suitcase during a move, with permission. Tom rarely uses the storage room at all and avoids shared areas when possible.
Earlier that week, Maya had casually mentioned she might donate some old clothes. Ben responded enthusiastically and offered to help her “sort things properly.” Later that day, Lila asked if Maya was planning a trip soon. Tom said nothing.
Standing alone in the storage room, Maya tried to decide whether someone had opened her suitcase to help, out of curiosity, or simply by mistake—and why they hadn’t mentioned it.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What do you think happened?
Who do you think opened the suitcase?
What are you basing that on?
Which detail matters most?
Which detail matters least?
What assumption are you making?
What detail could point to someone else instead?
Which detail could be misleading?
What information is missing?
What question would you ask Maya first?
How could this have an innocent explanation?
How could this be misunderstood?
If you had to defend another person, what would you say?
What would change your mind?
What conclusion feels most reasonable right now?
