SHORT AND WEIRD FICTION

Throw The Box in the Fire

The Box: Part 3

Welcome to part three of The Box. To be less confused, start here if you haven’t already. Part One. Part Two.

I was now nine inches tall, an eighth of my usual height. Time was also going eight times slower.

I reached for my phone to check the time but it was gone. I was in this kaftan now.

A cake of soap appeared in the box. No. It’s growing, into a bed.

“Sleep. It will be a while before he’s awake.”

I fell into a deep sleep and had a dream that explained all the symbols on the kaftan.

I now knew what the imble umble was. What was the box afraid of?

It was a long winter’s night.

Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop. He’s coming down the stairs.

“What’s happening?” I asked, not being able to see outside the box.

“He’s making a phone call.”

“Hello? Put on Jeff. I want to speak to Jeff right now… What you mean? I pay for Amajon Super Duper, get fucking Jeff on the line right now… The problem? The delivery at 10 pm last night. Didn’t order it. Not paying. Ya got me out of bed… What you mean nothing in the system. Jeff now or I’m going to throw the box in the fire.”

“The kaftan, the kaftan. Quick!”

I touched the middle symbol on the left sleeve with my right index finger. The patch around the symbol turned blood red.

“His hand is turning blue. Now white!”

Clunk. The phone hit the floor. I took my finger off the symbol and the blood subsided.

He picked up the phone. They were still on the line. The box started coughing violently.

“Must be our mistake. We’ll send someone over to pick it up right away.”

The box began humming the Froot Loops ad from 1963 in a low, wispy voice.

ACQ kept one eye on the box, prepared a bowl of Froot Loops, sat staring at the box, and began eating.

Every time he bit down the box screamed.

It didn’t take him long to stop eating.

“The kaftan again. This time, the eyes.”

I knew what the box meant. Dark circles formed under ACQ’s eyes and an Aztec symbol appeared on his forehead. He let out a short scream.

I grew back to my normal size, and I was soon standing in the box, on the table.

ACQ looked up at me.

“Yes, master?”

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