The warm breeze meandering through the canopy added a chorus of rustling leaves and creaking boughs to the orchestra of the forest. A dirt path wound through the stands, frayed at the edges by swathes of grass, nettles and low ferns. It was seldom used, evidenced by the gnarled roots that riddled the path with wooden veins, yet as the orchestra played on two figures picked their way up the

Dropping the suitcase onto her bed, Maddy admired her find. She had always loved vintage things and how they stood out from the crowd of sleek, modern items lining shop shelves and internet pages. They seemed out of place in all the best ways. As such, she had been attracted to them for as long as she could remember. Charity shops were always a good (and affordable) place to start.

As she busied herself with sorting through her great-aunt’s belongings, Mary sighed. She had only met the woman a handful of times, but she had always had an aura of excitement and mischief about her. They had always got along well whenever they spent time together, and the understanding that she was no longer around was still a blow to the gut even if they hadn’t been that close. Their