Patrick Jenson

It’s weird what details the mind holds on to. It was an overcast Tuesday when the box arrived on my door step. I remember my dog was freaking out at the door, which was odd because at her age she hardly even barked much anymore. I opened the door to see what she was going on about and there on my doorstep sat a little brown box. No postage or return address, just a beautifully written card with my name on it. After worrying for about an hour if it could possibly be a bomb, my curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. Inside was a note and another box. The note’s message has been seared into my brain.

Hello Mr. Jenson

Congratulations on being one of the lucky few.

You have been chosen for the opportunity of a

lifetime, if you choose to participate. With this note

you should also find a small box. Inside that box

you will find a black notebook along with

$20,000 in cash. If you choose to open this box,

the cash is yours, with the only stipulation that

you never open the notebook. For every year the

notebook remains unopened, one million dollars will

be deposited into your bank account tax free.

If you do not wish to participate, simply do not

open the smaller box, place this note back in the box

and place it back on your doorstep with the word

“No” written on your name card.

PLEASE THINK THIS OVER CAREFULLY.

Thank you for your time and have a pleasant day.

Needless to say, this was quite a shock but I only hesitated a moment before opening the smaller box. Just like the note said, there it was, as beautiful as could be, $20,000 in cash. The notebook was nothing special, small and black with a gold latch and a small key hanging from the latch. I threw the notebook in a drawer in my desk and went about blowing through the 20k.

By year’s end the money was gone and I had forgotten about the notebook. I was on the computer gaming when my phone pinged with a message alert, which I ignored. A few hours later I took a break from the game to get something to eat and finally checked my phone. I didn’t even hear the glass that had slipped from my hand shatter on the floor. I read the message over and over, then double checked my bank’s website. Finally, the words from the message rang true in my head: “$1,000,000.00 has been added to your account.”

My mind was racing, thinking back to that fateful day and the words in that note. I ran to the desk I had thrown the book into a year before. I snatched the book out and stared at it frozen, mind racing. I tossed the book onto the desk and quickly drove to the bank to withdraw the million – mostly to make sure it was real but also so they couldn’t take it back. Once I had the money back home, I just stared at it for hours. A million dollars, and I’ll be getting it every year. As long as I don’t open that book, ha ha ha, no problem. I stuck the book back in the desk drawer and set about enjoying the money.

Twenty-five years passed since the box appeared on my doorstep and changed my life. The money came regularly and over that time I learned how make my money make money. I started investing in small businesses and trading in the stock market and I’m now easily worth 70 million. I have a beautiful wife and three fantastic kids (3, 5, and 13). I became a philanthropist to try and let my good luck help others as well. Without any bit of arrogance I would say my life was going amazingly.

I was sitting in the game room one night, watching my two oldest play air hockey, it was 5-7 in favor of the younger, while the youngest was playing Legos at my feet. It was a great night until my wife came into the room and asked me an off-putting question: “What is this black book and why is it locked? It has been in every safe in every house we’ve lived in, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you open it.” Her question froze me, as if she had asked, “who is this woman in our bed?” I stammered at first, which made me sound guilty even though I had done nothing. I tried to play it off as nothing, a family heirloom, and just a book. This did not satisfy her curiosity. After sitting in silence for a bit while she shot daggers with her eyes, I decided to tell her everything. Two hours of talking, showing her bank records and even the original note, she just stared at me without saying a word for what felt like an eternity.

The first words she spoke after my crazy presentation were, “What happens if you open the book?” I realized I had no idea; the question had never even crossed my mind. I had never cared – the money showed up, no one had ever come looking for it, so it was all good. Plus, I figured it had to be important not to open it; why else would someone pay me so much money every year not to? “So you have no idea what happens or if anything happens if you open the book?” she asked again. I tried to make her understand, I never cared, I had the money free and clear that’s all that mattered to me. She asked me for the key, saying that if I wasn’t curious, she was. I told her I threw the key away years ago so I wouldn’t be tempted. It didn’t matter anyway to me, I had my perfect life I didn’t need to know what was in this book. I took the book from her and placed it back in the safe, begging her to just let it go.

I thought the matter was settled but over the next two months it seemed to be the only topic my wife wanted to talk about. Her obsession finally made my curiosity grow, until one night I gave in. She grabbed the notebook from the safe while I grabbed a screwdriver from the garage. If we wanted to see what was in the book and what would happen, I’d have to pry it open. We sat at the dining room table and both took a deep, nervous breath. I looked at her and asked if she was sure she wanted to do this. She gave me a nod. I guess that was all I needed to calm my doubts because I started prying at the lock. That little lock was tougher than I thought it would be but soon it popped free. When I opened the book, I let out a small gasp, as if I expected something to jump out. Isn’t that silly. But inside were just names at the top of pages, then a story about that person. They were weird, rambling stories about things that didn’t make much sense. But what I discovered way too late is that I really shouldn’t have opened this notebook. While I was reading a few of the stories I started to feel a strange tingle all over. The feeling grew and grew, until soon I noticed that I was starting to disappear. I know that sounds farfetched, but the look of utter terror in my wife’s eyes confirmed the truth. A moment later the book crashed to the floor and I was lost in absolute darkness and silence.

I had no idea where I was or how long I had been in this nothing place, until moments ago when the darkness was lifted, and I saw your face looking down on me. As impossible as it seems, I was pulled into the notebook. I don’t know who you are but I’m sorry you can read this, because if you can read this then it’s already too late for you. You’re starting to look a little translucent, but the good news is that it doesn’t really hurt. Hey, before it’s too late can yo…