by Chelsea Long
Artwork by Ina Ma
The only thing you need to know about the box is that we don’t talk about it. Things are better like this, I promise. My mom promised me the exact same thing when I was your age. The box is still there, but we don’t talk about it, because things are better when we don’t talk about or think about or touch the corners of the box that is still there. You know what they say about trees falling in forests? If we don’t talk about, think about, or touch the corners of the box, if we whisper when we’re nearby so we don’t wake it, then it’s almost like the box isn’t there at all.
But also—it’s still there.
The point is: if we talk about the box, everything will be ruined forever. And I know you’re probably thinking, Why don’t we just get rid of the box? Sure, that’s a fair question. Yeah. I used to ask that question a lot, you know. Like, a lot a lot. However, in order to get rid of the box, you have to touch the box, and if you touch the box, you won’t be a part of this family anymore. We’ll throw you out onto the streets. Haha. That’s what my mom always told me. I knew she was exaggerating.
Hey, sweetie, don’t look so upset. I promise, one day you’ll almost forget it’s there. When I was your age, my mom promised me the same. She said I would forget all about it eventually. She said her mom told her the same thing, and her mom before that, and her mom before that. Kind of like a family tradition. All the way back to Ancient Greece. Haha. No, that was just a joke. I’ll read you the story sometime.
Anyway, my mom told me I would forget about the box one day, and guess what? I almost did. I mean, it’s still there, but I never think about it anymore.
What did you say? Oh, no, of course not. No. Never.
I don’t wonder about pointless things.
I don’t care what’s inside the box. I don’t talk about it, think about it, or touch the corners of it. I never will, and I never have. I never dreamed about it, never picked at the tape, never crept upstairs one night to carefully, carefully, open the flaps, never looked in horror upon what I found—sorry, what was I saying?
Oh, yes.
The only thing you need to know about the box is that we don’t talk about it.
The Grab Bag 