Questions

I woke up and it was there. If it had eyes, it would be staring at me with the same unrelenting gaze I was giving it. “Where did it come from?” I wondered to myself. It was not there when I went to bed last night, I simply do not understand. I tried to ignore it and went into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. As I brushed my teeth, questions kept popping into my mind. Who put it on my table? What is in it? Was it left by mistake? What should I do with it? Who was in my room last night while I was sleeping?

I decided to go to work and simply leave it alone on the table. Fortunately, I am currently part of several teams at the technology company where I work, so I was too busy to give it more than an occasional passing thought for several hours. I tried to leave the issue at the door when I came in the building and concentrate on my teams and projects. When some of my coworkers asked me if I would like to lunch with them, I said yes so the conversation would keep my mind off of it. On the bus ride home, it was a little more difficult to keep my mind occupied because I did not see any of the people I regularly talk to.

Once I arrived home I sat by the table and stared at it. The questions once again flooding through my brain. I looked all around it but did not see any markings on it. How did it magically arrive on my table overnight? Is it part of a prank? Is it dangerous? Should I touch it? Should I throw it in the trash? Should I call the police? The questions kept swimming and swimming in my head.

I took a picture of it and posted the picture to my social media accounts along with text asking if anyone knew what it was for or why it was here. I received the usual funny retorts as replies. I think everyone thought my post was a joke. I walked around the table for a while pondering my next step. Questions filled my head once again. Why is it wrapped in brown paper? What could possibly be in it? Is it time to break down and open it?

I finally decided to touch the package and reached for it on the table. The package was as light as air and felt empty. I shook it for a second and did not hear even the tiniest bit of noise. “It must be harmless,” I thought to myself as I set the package back down on the table. The bombardment of questions was back in my head. If it is empty, why did someone leave it here? If it is empty, is it safe to open? Am I only so distressed by this package because it has appeared out of nowhere?

Curiosity overcame me and I chose to open the package. I picked up the package and carefully removed the brown paper. The box inside was also brown and did not have any markings. Even more odd, the box inside did not have any obvious way to open it. There was not any tape or flaps, just a solid, uninterrupted square of cardboard. Brand new questions rushed in for consideration. How is it possible to have an item inside the box if it was never opened? Does this mean the package is truly empty? Who is trying to mess with my head?

“Ted, why is your game character just sitting there staring at a box on the table?” asked Steve.

“I have her on a loop,” Ted replied. “Every day she wakes up to see an unexpected package in her bedroom and every day she never decides what to do with it. I can keep her character active in the game by putting her in the loop and leaving her there until I am ready to use her in the future.”

“Super idea,” said Steve. “You know, sometimes I feel like a god playing this game. I am so glad we found this planet of humans; their minds are so easy to control.