An Unexpected Discovery in an Ordinary Sausage
Sometimes strange things happen in completely ordinary situations. Yesterday, after work, I stopped by the supermarket—tired, hungry, with no desire to cook anything elaborate. I grabbed a pack of well-known sausages—the ones I buy when I want a quick snack. The price was normal, the packaging was sealed, everything looked just like always.
At home, I sliced a few pieces, made myself a sandwich, and ate it without thinking. I put the rest of the sausages in the fridge—they were meant for breakfast. Nothing seemed suspicious; everything seemed completely normal.
The next morning, I took out the same pack, boiled the kettle, and started slicing sausages for an omelet. Suddenly, the knife hit something hard. I thought maybe they were a little frozen. I tried again—and the same thing happened. The knife stopped as if there was a piece of metal inside.
Carefully, I cut the sausage lengthwise and saw something silver glinting inside. At first, I thought it was just a piece of foil from the packaging. But when I gently pulled the object out, a shiver ran down my spine. In my hand, I was holding… an ordinary USB flash drive, covered in bits of meat and fat.
For a moment, I didn’t know what I felt—disgust, fear, or disbelief. After all, we buy food trusting that there’s nothing foreign inside. And I had already eaten a few slices! Just the thought of it made me feel sick.
But curiosity got the better of me. I wiped the USB with a tissue, dried it, and after a moment of hesitation, plugged it into my laptop. The computer recognized it immediately. There was only one file on the drive—a folder named “OPEN ME.”
I hesitated. My heart was pounding, but curiosity was stronger. Inside the folder, there was just one document—a photo of a man. He was sitting at a table, looking straight at the camera with a slight smile, as if posing intentionally. No caption, no date, no context. Just someone’s face, somehow hidden inside a food product.
I sat for a long time staring at the screen, trying to understand what it all meant. Maybe it was a mistake on the production line. Maybe the USB had accidentally fallen into the machine, and no one noticed. Or maybe it was someone’s strange prank.
After a few minutes, I decided to stay rational and not jump to conclusions. I called the store where I bought the sausages and described the situation. The cashier was surprised, apologized, and asked me to bring the pack so it could be passed on to the supplier. She said she would inform management and the manufacturer so they could conduct an investigation.
I felt a little relieved. It was better to check than to imagine terrifying scenarios. I wiped the USB, put it in a bag, and went to the store. There, my complaint was received, and they promised to get in touch if anything came of it.
That evening, sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea, I thought about how strangely life can sometimes stop us and make us pay attention to small details. One random moment—and our everyday certainty that the world is safe is a little shaken. But maybe it’s precisely such situations that remind us to be cautious and not take everything for granted, even when it’s just supermarket food.
Since then, I’ve started reading labels carefully, checking dates, and most importantly, listening to my gut whenever something seems suspicious. Perhaps that is the most important lesson from that USB incident.
Now, when I pass by the sausage aisle, I smile involuntarily—not out of fear, but because I know: even the most ordinary purchase can hold a story you never forget.
