What’s in the Box?

People were coming and going. What was the big idea? They were everywhere! Don’t stand in a doorway and talk! Why do people do that? They were going and coming. Jeep Wranglers filled up with bags. Children glued to tablets. Mothers taking tablets. Keyless entries honking. Friends honked at friends, but ignored each other because they thought it was keyless entry. That was the scene.  Suddenly, everyone froze. Tim Horton’s cups poised below anxious lips. Children silenced. Dogs caught in suspended animation. Jeep Wranglers waiting for more bags. Mothers poised to drop said bags next to hungry Wranglers and make a break for it. What was he doing? Someone call someone! What did he have? Where was his Jeep Wrangler? Someone call someone! What’s the deal? Take a picture!

He was alone. He looked nondescript, but suspiciously so. He moved normally, but not in a good way. He seemed to have a plan. That made everyone nervous. What was his plan? What was in the box?

He carried a box. It looked regular, but not in a good way. It looked new, like it was waiting for something to happen to it. The box was like the man – a mystery to look into. Why was he carrying the box? Was he doing it on purpose? Who carries a box? What was in the box? Some took pictures. Someone call someone! Soon, people were rushing to the scene. Everyone wanted to know about the box. Everyone had a theory. Someone called someone. Oblivious, which didn’t do him any favours, the man marched onward, clenching the box. Where was he going? What was his plan? What was in the box?

That was the last time anyone saw the man with the box. Keyless entries rang on, hungry Wranglers got their fill, mothers were medicated and children were pleasantly distracted – but no box. People looked for the box. Some looked for the man. Some looked for both. For months, life went on as normal, but not in a good way. They had to face the facts: the man with the box was gone. Where did he go? Someone thought they saw him at the local mall. People rushed to the scene. It was a false alarm. Turned out to be someone’s reflection in a shop window. These things happen. Where was he? What happened? What was in the box? Around this time, a sinister discovery was made.

A local mailman, bag bulging with letters, was walking along the sidewalk bordering the forest. Whistling to keep wildlife away, he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked right, then left. No one there! He ran to the nearest house. They made the call. Some of the braver men followed the mailman back to the sidewalk that bordered the forest. They didn’t want to linger there. Some kept watch, in case something sprang from the forest. The rest approached it slowly. It was open. Someone poked it with a stick. They nervously peeked inside. Nothing. They looked around. No sign of the man. He had left his box on the sidewalk, next to the forest. Where was he? What was in it? Maybe he let it out and it went back to the forest. They looked for tracks. Nothing – nothing leading from the box to the forest. Maybe it escaped and did something to the man. They shuddered to think. When they knew it was safe, people came from all over. They took pictures. Everyone called everyone.

Shortly thereafter, someone in a neighbouring town posted a photo. It was an empty box, found at the edge of a parking lot, bordering a field. Then someone from another country posted several photos of an empty box next to a dumpster, bordering a stream. What the hell was going on? Families huddled around their computers, looking for comfort. People stayed indoors, until they knew better. Some shot nervous glances out the window. Sometimes, a box was seen outside of someone’s house. They feared the worst. It was happening all over. The box was everywhere. It was too late to do anything about it. People feared the box. They didn’t want to end up in the box. When a box was found on the roadside, nervous parents led their children away, avoiding the question – what’s in the box?

“Open Cardboard Moving Box” by hireahelper is licensed under CC BY 2.0 cc-icon

Now listen to the song that inspired the story!