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'Someone has sent you a Random Box'

It is the strangest thing

By C.J. GoodinPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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'Someone has sent you a Random Box'
Photo by Brandable Box on Unsplash

"I don't remember ordering anything," I thought as I put a brown paper box beside junk mail on the kitchen table.

'Someone has sent you a Random Box', was the only inscription, along with my name and address on the suspicious package wrapped in brown paper. Without a single blemish from transport. The carton was questionably light. Cutting the thick tape that held the paper around the container, I opened it up and found the unusual box was empty. After looking around the outside for other clues I gave up and put the rest of the junk mail inside. Walking to the living room to watch the TV, I had all but forgotten the empty box.

Later, my daughter asked me what I received in the package, informing her that it was empty. She asked how I know that it's empty if I hadn't opened it yet. Informing her I had already seen inside of it on the way back into the kitchen I found that the random box sat unopened, now beside the junk mail. Assuring her again that I had indeed opened it, she assured me this wasn't a prank, after my several accusations. Opening the box again, to find it was just as empty as it was before.

"I must be just misremembering," I explained to myself. "A holdover of the stress and anxiety of the previous year."

Dinner with the family and a late-night snack hunger later I found myself again in the kitchen. After warming up some pizza bagels and placing the hot plate beside the random box, I noticed it was once again was unopened.

"I know I've opened this," I thought reexamining every angle as I looked for clues to see if it was a different box, opening it to find it again still empty. Collapsing and leaning it next to the trash can I had the intention of throwing it out the next morning.

Making it a point to throw out the cardboard the moment I woke up, only to find the box had been remade and resealed sitting on my kitchen table. Frustrated I collapsed the box and ran to the outdoor recycling bin and tossed it in. Even checking to make sure it was still in the bin before I left for work.

To my frustration and annoyance, I found an identical sealed empty box in my car's passenger seat, which I threw out the window before driving. The same box appearing in my cubicle. I must've looked crazy, demanding answers from coworkers as to who had given me this box. I even took time to search for the company who sent it over the internet, to no avail. Placing it under my desk for the remainder of the day, left it there when the time came for me to return home.

Arriving home again I found another random box waiting on my front porch. Without hesitation, I threw it in the outdoor trash can.

"You had another box on the steps outside for you," My daughter said with cool indifference as she handed me a pristine brown package identical to all the others before.

I stomped on it in madness, flattening it, and tossed it out the door. Only to be greeted by the same box again on the porch, the following morning.

I brought it to the neighbor's house dropped it on their doorstep and ran away.

I spent the rest of the day in anticipation of another empty suspicious brown paper package, but it never returned. Even upon returning home, the porch was free of any questionable packages.

Only that evening to receive a text from my neighbor, "Did you send me a random box? It is the strangest thing. I can't seem to get rid of it."

Short Story
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About the Creator

C.J. Goodin

SF/Horror writer of short stories and novels. My mind wonders from Tibbitts Hill to the end of time.

MBA. Creator of Twitter @MementoMoriRD. Tropical Goth 🏴‍☠️

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