The Box

Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money to put on the line, but that’s exactly what the letter said was at stake. All Monica had to do was not open the box the letter came with, attached via envelope. All she had to do was not open it for a week, and she got to keep the money. Twenty thousand dollars to not open the box that was about fourteen by fourteen by twelve inches, and now sat in her closet. It was hidden, of course, though primarily because everything was on the floor in there. She never was quite good about hanging clothes up. It was so much easier to just toss everything inside. The cat didn’t mind. That just meant there were plenty of hiding spots for him. That was one of the benefits of living alone- nobody chided her for having a messy apartment. It wasn’t a pigsty, but it wasn’t the most organized either, and showed signs of habitation, unlike so many places kept to look like they were ready for home buyers to tour.

Monica had always hated the feeling of a home that was just too clean- it never felt like hers like that. It always felt like somebody else was going to walk in, and sign a deal to buy the place. With the fish tank in the living room, and stacks of books across from it, she felt at home. Nothing was too sterile, though she had to be careful where she put her yarn. Pizza was always getting into it, the rascal. He’d probably want into that box, too, when she did open it- if she opened it. It was bold to assume she wouldn’t completely forget about it in her closet. And there she was, thinking about it again. She had left the twenty grand with the box, just to be safe. If she spent it, then opened the box before the deadline… She didn’t want to think about the possible repercussions. This was somebody mysteriously challenging her and offering a twenty thousand dollar reward- that’s not shady in the slightest, is it?

A small pot of cherry tea sat on the counter, on top of a small platform with a slot for a tea candle in it. Honey flowed into the pot, and was stirred rapidly by a bamboo chopstick; a spare from a leftover set from last night’s takeout. She could do a lot with twenty thousand dollars. Like upgrade from her studio apartment to a slightly bigger apartment, with more windows for Pizza to sprawl in front of. Tightly curled hair coiled around her head, keeping itself out of the mug of tea she poured. Her sigh blew across the surface of the tea, cooling it before the first sip. That box had a lot of potential for good in her life. A new apartment, maybe some debts paid off. Maybe even a car.

She heard a crash from her bedroom, and gave a heavier sigh. She was glad to have set out a second mug, but also annoyed. Of course her sister had snuck into the apartment through the window. She had a habit of doing so, claiming that it was to fight whatever establishment that made using the door an act of conformity. Technically her sister wasn’t wrong, but there are some battles you just don’t pick. Standing up, Monica set her mug down and moved to her bedroom.

“Deedee, are you serious?” With her arms crossed, Monica huffed.

“Why wouldn’t I be?!” Wild eyes stared up from the floor, a smaller girl having tripped over a wooden chest, ripped jeans showing her knees. “Plus, not my fault you keep things in weird places.” She pouted slightly.

“Deedee, that’s a chest by a wall by a window. Not the middle of the floor.”

“Weird place!”

Monica rolled her eyes, “So what are you-“ she was cut off on spying a fourteen by fourteen by twelve box in her sister’s arms, and her eyes narrowed as she hissed, “Give me that!”

“Whoa, whoa, hey! I was going to!” Deedee threw her arms up in surrender, “I was trying to hide it in the one place you’d never look- it’s a birthday present! Your closet is a great place for that!”

This was why Monica had hidden that other box in there. Of course her sister would point that out, unaware of the other box.

“Sorry.” She held a hand out to help the other off the floor.

Deedee took it, and brushed herself off, rainbow hair standing up of its own accord. “You gonna apologize?”

Monica sighed, “Yeah, yeah, sorry bucko. There’s actually a box I’m hiding in there from myself, so I thought you’d somehow gotten ahold of it. It’s… Oddly enough, the same size, though there’s plenty of boxes out there with these dimensions.” She shook the box ever so carefully before setting it down on the chest.

“Huh. Talk about coincidences.”

“Right?”

“So why’re you hiding it?”

“ ‘Cuz. I have to wait a week to open it.”

“Why?”

“None of your business.”

Deedee huffed, “Fine.”

“You want some of the cherry tea or not?”

“…Please.”

Monica led the way back to the living room-kitchen-dining room combination. At least the open concept allowed for easy maneuvering.

“How’d you know I was coming?”

“You’re not as unpredictable as you think. It’s the third Tuesday of the month, and three-fourteen P.M.; it’s your usual time.”

Deedee’s cheeks puffed out, and she muttered a curse under her breath.

“Would it make you feel better to open the boxes with me next week?”

Brown eyes lit up, “You know it!”

“Then go home, Dee, I can’t keep sheltering you here from the mole man police.”

“That’s not them and you know it!”

“Yes, Miss ‘Doors Are Establishment’.” The last three words were said in rapid succession as to sound like a single word.

Deedee was already halfway out the window in this room, “Later, sucker!”

Monica already knew it was going to be a long week with Deedee knowing about the box. At least it got her to perk up, rather than moping. It’d also give Monica some needed entertainment- she could tease Deedee with lies about the box, or pictures of it in new places, and drive her baby sister nuts. After all, it’s what Deedee deserved, for being a baby sister. Deedee had committed the unforgiveable crime of being a sibling. She finished the tea in the pot, and cleaned up the set before getting back to work- she had a long week of routine ahead, and not planning to use those funds. She could only daydream, or she’d risk losing it all.

The days passed slowly. Day after day, with each new picture of the boxes being moved around, Monica couldn’t help but wonder what was in both of them. Now, thanks to her criminal sister, she had not one, but two boxes she couldn’t open. She almost wondered if somebody else was going to bring a mysterious box of the same dimensions, just for her to have yet another to not peek into. That would be her luck, where people she had relationships with knew something she didn’t and purposefully gave her more and more identical boxes. If they did that, she’d probably start scolding them out of frustration. She checked the date- she only had to last one more night, and then she could open the boxes, with her sister. Maybe she’d order in some special food to celebrate, or as a comfort. Sushi sounded good, and would be nice and light. It’d leave room for cake. She still had to go pick that up tomorrow, too. That’d be a good time killer. Yawning, Monica crawled into her messy bed with the orange tabby Pizza, the fish tank bubbling along distantly.

The incessant buzzing of her phone woke Monica the next morning, and she grumbled out of bed. Waking was never easy, especially when the sun hadn’t even come out yet. She was a strong believer that if the sun wasn’t out yet, then she shouldn’t be either. She shoved herself into her work clothes and headed out after feeding Pizza. For that moment, she had to worry about work. She would worry about everything else afterwards, but for now, she had to brace for the torture that was an early morning call center. Her one salvation was coffee, with just enough caffeine so she didn’t tell off the first entitled customer to cross her line. The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough.

Monica was out of there as soon as she could clock out, refusing to be there longer than she had to be. She had an appointment with Deedee, after all, and had to pick up a cake, and get dinner ordered. She sat on the train, making the sushi order on her way to the store, before running to pick up the cake, and then back again to get home. Deedee took a lot of risks with her rebellious streak, and the last thing she needed was the cops called on her sister.

Deedee was waiting for Monica, with both boxes on the table, holding Pizza. The two sisters shared a nod as the cake was set down, and both stood over the boxes, Monica’s hands trembling. This was it. The moment they’d been waiting for. It was here. Scissors slowly glided through tape, and Monica inhaled… The box was empty save for a small, black leather notebook. The pages were weathered, and she picked it up. It smelled familiar, and she cracked it open carefully. The words were written in an equally familiar handwriting.

“Dear Monica…”

Monica inhaled, closing her eyes, and went digging for the envelope the letter came in. Of course- of course it was from a law firm, and this was her inheritance, her portion of her mother’s estate. Her mother would be the one to test her self-control like this. Her heart clenched a bit as she clutched the book to her chest. She still had one last box to open, but this consumed her attention. She couldn’t focus on the other box- she had a journal from her mother, addressed to her, like a series of letters. She took a deep breath, and finally found the words to tell Deedee, who had been watching with concern. Monica sank down into a chair shakily.

The other box was forgotten for a few hours, as the sisters sat and read the letters from their mother for a few hours, the small black book bringing them closer to each other, and the deceased, if only for a little while.