Setting

The physical setting of the short story “Uncle Dougie’s Suitcase” by Alastair Chisholm is modern day Scotland. This is seen by the fact that Charlie Hannion from Uncle Dougie’s story is a supporter of the Celtics, a football team from Glasgow, Scotland. We also learn that Charlie goes missing at the Edinburgh airport. Finally, Douglas is a common Scottish name. 

Concerning the time frame, the story is told by the now adult narrator, Douglas, who recounts a memory from his childhood: “when I was nine years old” (l. 1). Uncle Dougie’s “story within a story” supposedly takes place even longer before he tells it to Douglas: “ ‘This was a while back, things were different. Nowadays, I dare say the anti-terror boys would have shot him in the head.’ ” ...