The Box

      William saw the box for the first time as the flood waters receded. It had been a record-breaking flood, water everywhere; and it had left the box. He had found it while hiding from his parents after a fight. There was an area at the side of the house with no windows, he often took advantage of it when he needed time to himself. It was a small box, no more than a foot long, it had a cheap lock on it, altogether an unremarkable piece of workmanship; something you might find in a souvenir shop. Something in the way the box had been sitting when he found it—as if placed there just for him—led his mind to thoughts of magic. He carried the box over to his favorite sitting stone, set it down in front of him, and began to ponder. Anything could be contained within, a map, a key, a stone; all of them magical, obviously. The bottom of the box was worn and tattered, splinters of wood breaking away had left a small hole. He peered through the hole, blackness stared back at him. Breaking the bottom off completely would be easy but he was hesitant; was he ready to take on an adventure? Magic was not something to be taken lightly, he considered himself somewhat of an expert in the field, having read most decent fantasy novels. He set the box down and stood, it would be best to prepare for at least a day before embarking on any magical adventures. He returned to his house and apologized to his parents.

      The box was still there on the next day, right where he had left it. This time, he had come prepared; a small backpack full of potentially magic items and his loyal Scottie, Jaken, prepared him for anything the box might contain. He peered through the hole again, still nothing. He shook it, the rattling of the lock drowned out any potential sound contained within. Finally, he allowed Jaken to sniff the box. The terrier took to his task in a very serious manner, sniffing every surface and even going so far as to attempt to probe the interior with his tongue. He finished his work, looked up at William, and sneezed; interesting. Jaken, being a Scottish Terrier, was obviously not allergic to magic so this didn't really rule anything out. He asked Jaken what he thought, a tilt of the head and a wag of the tail confirmed his suspicion, Jaken was just as stumped as he was. An unnatural caution settled over him, it would wait one more day. Tomorrow would be Sunday, the last day of the weekend; if he was going to enter a magical land, it might as well be tomorrow. He took Jaken inside, did his homework, brushed his teeth, and went to bed.

      The box had moved. William had carefully noted at which angle he had left it and it had definitely rotated. This had to be a sign, the time for the revelation was upon him. He rechecked his bag of supplies, you never knew how quickly magic would act; it might lead him on a quest to a passage or it might zap him away immediately. As he pried the bottom of the box open, he ensured that Jaken was touching him, touch was very important in magical travel. The bottom popped open...he peered in...a skeleton of a bird plopped out on the ground next to him. Jaken went to sniff it. William was profoundly disappointed, it must have been a pet buried here by the previous residents. He carefully replaced the skeleton in the box, pounded the bottom back on with a rock, and reburied it. As he got up to leave, he noticed a nearby tree stump; there were some kind of markings on it, it could be a map! His disappointment forgotten, he carefully copied the map and called Jaken away for their next adventure.