A Stranger in a Strange Land. Or Box. (Part One)

“Everything you need to know…everything you want is in this box.”

I looked up from where I’d been frittering away on my laptop to look at my brother, slightly annoyed that he’d breezed in, unannounced into my sanctuary. True, it was just my bedroom but we had strict rules going where if I was bent over the lappy, no bothering me. I was “working.” Which meant I was blogging, writing, researching or Google Earthing my latest “crush”.

“What?” I snapped at his cryptic comment and hadn’t even seen the thing in his hand til he shoved it in my face. Smacking at him, he dropped the shiny object and scowled at me before scooping it back up. I recognized it! It’d belonged to my Grandma. She’d been crazy about it, never letting anyone else touch it. To attempt to, was to run the risk of losing your digits.

“We’re going through those boxes we’ve pulled out of storage finally. This was in Grandma’s box.”  He shrugged, his voice dipping low at the end, the pain of Gram’s loss still felt even a decade later. “The stuff from her room the nursing home packed up when she died, it was in with our stuff. “Anyway. Found this with a post it note on it. Had your name and ‘everything you need to know…everything you want is in this box.’ So here ya go..” he tossed it at me and despite my Queen Klutz tag, I managed to catch it as he sauntered out.

Shutting the laptop, I pushed it aside and set down the odd looking box on my desk, studying it. It reminded me of that damned “puzzle box” from Hellraiser and having been a fangirl of that genre, I wasn’t all too jigs with even touching this thing but….

It was so shiny in shades of copper and gold, silver was sprinkled through it as well. Sparkly and gleaming as if brand new and not hidden in a dusty box for ten years.  Given the fact my grams had been as odd as lips on a chicken (some say I inherited my freakiness from her), I was not surprised by such cryptic gifting or the mysterious post it note. After all, the woman had been obsessed with Dr. Who back in her day. Scratching my head, I picked it up and cradled it in both palms. It was cool to the touch despite my own body heat around it and the etchings marking all sides of it felt smooth, like tiny raised isles of inked silk.

I let my fingers dance all around it randomly, as though stroking it gently before setting back down and glancing at the clock. Rising up, I couldn’t help but let my eyes linger on it. Everything I needed to know? Everything I want? In this box? Cute, Grams, super cute. Snorting, I looked down to see the furry brigade (four cats, two dogs) had come to remind me it was chow time for them and began to drift out.

“Hey sassy pants. You gonna let me out of here or what? I’m stuck in here tighter than Batman’s balls in the batsuit.”

I spun so quickly I ended up stepping on Neko’s tail, which earned me a harsh bite from that fat ginger haired feline. I could have swore I’d heard a muffled voice but nah. Had to be the loud ass television my father was blaring from the family room.

“Okay, okay, sorry about the balls ref. Too offensive? I’m not known for my manners. But seriously, I need a drink, a bath and maybe some tail. Not yours, of course. But if you have any hot friends, we can work a deal…”

Definitely heard that loud and clear. And it was coming from the box on my desk…..