Return to Sender

“Left flank! radar525 enemy closing in on your left flank.”

“Sniperfox92 got a visual?” 

“Negative."

“Code red! code red! base has been infiltrated!”

“All units move in; flag retrieval is our primary objective.”

“Move! Move! Move!”

“TimeKeeper, Babyshark44 fall back. Take post on building’s 3 and 5. We need birds in the sky, make it happen.”

“Roger.”

“Xyla!” Xyla’s focus easing for a brief moment looking up at her mother standing at the entrance way to the living room.

“Is this what you intend on doing today?”

Xyla tilted her head slightly with a puzzled face.

“We’re in the middle of a lockdown mum, remember, global pandemic and all.”

“Well, some of us still have to go into work."

Her mother sighed," Look, I have a parcel arriving today. Make sure to sign for it.”

Xyla’s attention at this point had immersed back into the game. 

“Xyla!” 

“Yes, parcel. Signature. Got it.”

Xyla’s mother, sighing once more before departing for work.

Time was nonexistent to Xyla, 2, 3 maybe even 4 hours had gone by, but who was keeping tabs on that.

Hyper focused Xyla was determined to maintain her winning streak. 

Ding dong!

Xyla still focused on the game, hadn’t heard the door.

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

“Oh shoot.”

Xyla, ran to answer the door, not without first camping her player in a safe location. 

Opening the door, prepared to sign for this parcel, only to find no one- no delivery person, no one. What she did find though was a box, a small brown paper box.

Without thinking twice about it, she picked up the parcel from the doorstep and took it inside.

Placing it on the dining table. 

“Mission complete.” She said to herself while returning back to her original position on the couch picking up her controller and continuing where she left off.

Concluding her 8th, maybe her 9th match, no one was really counting. Xyla felt a pinch in her stomach, a reminder that she hadn’t eaten anything since early this morning.

Returning to the game lobby, Xyla made her way into the kitchen to satisfy her hunger.

On the menu, a large bag of potato chips and a small jar of Nutella for dipping sauce. 

“Perfect!”

As She stood at the kitchen counter munching down on this new creation, she glanced across to the box that sit across the room on the dining table.

Making her way towards box, chips in hand, she studied its appearance and the position the box sat in.

Was she imagining this, or did it look like the box had shifted slightly from where she placed it down initially?

“Pfft. Xyla as if.” She spoke out loud as if she was speaking to a friend.

Giving the box a once over she noticed a note taped on the left face.

“Do not under any circumstances break the seal of this box. Recipients are to keep the box safe for 24hours after acceptance, this is defined by the recipient bringing the parcel into their home. Once the 24hour timeframe has elapsed the parcel will be collected and moved on.”

“Weird?”

“Ugh, what the heck is mum buying on the internet.” 

Xyla started to make her way back to the living room, “I swear sometimes I feel like I need to supervise her time on the internet.”

Without thinking too much more about it she returned to her game.

About an hour into it, Xyla could vaguely hear something. She paused the game, sitting in silence trying to pick up on what she could hear. She could hear the air conditioning, people walking along the footpath outside having conversations but not this sound she heard earlier.

She stayed like this for a few seconds more. 

No sound- she was about restart the game, until…

Tap tap tap

It was a soft, gentle tapping- coming from the direction of the kitchen.

Xyla stood from the couch to follow the sound.

Ting

Pulling her phone out of her pocket she read the text from mum.

“Courier just called. My order won’t be arriving until tomorrow.”

Xyla read the text twice before realizing the faint sound of tapping had ceased. at this stage she started to feel a little uneasy. If that’s the case, then what’s the box sitting on their dining table?

Texting mum back she told her about the brown paper box that turned up this morning. 

Mum instructing her to put it back on the doorstep and she would contact the courier company to explain what had happened and ask that they come back to collect it.

Xyla did as her mum had asked her, placing it back outside on the doorstep. Closing the door behind her she made her way into the kitchen to grab a drink.

It wasn’t long after the box was placed back outside that she received a phone call from her mother.

“Hello.”

“Xyla, bring the box inside.”

“But you just—”

“BRING.IT.IN.NOW.”

Growling and dragging her feet, she retrieved the brown paper box and threw it on the table with a loud thud, making it known to her mother on the end of the phone how annoyed she was.

“Listen to me very carefully Xyla. Don’t go anywhere near that box, do you hear me.”

“What are you—”

“I’ll be home as soon as I can, but please just don’t go anywhere near that thing.”

Xyla was growing tired of this game she thought her mother was playing.

“Alright, quit the cryptic BS mum and just tell me what’s with the box.”

“Sweetie I’m so sorry, please just promise me you’ll do as I ask. Stay away from it and whatever you do don’t respond to anything that comes from it.”

What the heck is she on about Don’t respond to it. It’s a box, what could it possibly do? On cue, as if her thoughts manifested into reality, right before her eyes, it happened. The small brown paper box shifted on the table.

Slowly backing away, Xyla held the phone tightly to her ear and whispered “Mum… it’s moving.”

“Xyla, pretend like nothing is happening. Ignore it, it’s going to be fine okay.”

“I’m leaving.”

“NO!” mum shouted with force.

“IT’S MOVING. I’M LEAVING!”

“You can’t leave, they told me you can’t leave, if you leave something will happen.”

“LIKE WHAT!? ANOTHER PANDEMIC!”

With her mother now sobbing on the phone Xyla, although frustrated, calmed herself before speaking again, it was clear that her mother was filled with fear and worry about her daughter’s safety.

“Mum, just please hurry.”

Hanging up the call, she sat on the edge of the couch anxious and fearful of what else this box would do.

Minutes felt like hours and with the house in an eerie silence it was only a matter of time before the weirdness started up again.

Tap tap tap

Xyla sat still and with every fiber of her being tried her best to tune out the sound.

Tap tap tap

“Mum, where are you?” she thought to herself.

The tapping continued, Xyla was starting to become less aware of it, but what came next pulled her attention back in and made her feel cold.

"Xyla... Xyla please help me"

“You can’t be serious.” She said whilst looking at the box sitting on the kitchen table.

"Xyla, please it’s okay I promise you It’ll be okay."

“SHUT UP!” with force Xyla threw a small elephant ornament her mother had placed on the coffee table towards the box, knocking it to the ground. All sounds ceased and Xyla sighed in relief. What she failed to notice though, is that she managed to create a small tear along the seal of the box. Doing the one thing they were instructed not to do.

The events that unfolded are a mystery, mum arrived home to darkness. Fumbling with the house keys, hands shaking. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside calling for her daughter, “Xyla...”