Shoebox

The First Day

    Twenty year old Marius Bradford looked out of his window and smiled. From the warm glow of his new green and brown living room, he could see the figures of the visitors emerge from their car. As they ran to the front door and rhythmically pounded on it as fast as their little fists would allow them, Marius became lost in thought.

    “Three of them this time,” thought Marius, “the eldest three.”

    Almost immediately, the images of the children flashed through his mind, before materializing before his eyes as he opened the door.

    “Uncle Merlin!” joked his oldest niece, Amanda. A teenage girl, tall for her age, pale, with long flowing red hair and a wide mischievous smile, she rushed at him almost immediately. Amanda and her “Uncle Merlin” had always been close. From the time he was a small boy, Marius had practically raised Amanda, almost as an older brother figure. Her little green eyes sparked as she let go of her uncle and rushed into his new home.

    Next was Amanda’s brother, Mitchell. A younger and more curious and gentle soul than his sister, Mitchell was thin and wide-eyes, with his sister’s green eyes and close cropped golden-brown hair. He too hugged his Uncle Marius tightly before rushing inside.

    Finally, there was Marius’s second eldest niece, Amanda and Mitchell’s cousin Kristen. Shorter and stronger than Amanda but just as curious and ornery as the other two, Kristen, like her elder cousin, addressed Marius as “Uncle Merlin,” before rushing inside to explore his new home.

    “Remember you three!” shouted Amanda and Mitchell’s mother, Marius’s oldest sister, Brittainey, “You should have fun, but you’re here to help Marius unpack!”

    And help they did. In between playing board games, digging and laughing  through boxes of Marius’s old school things, especially his old school photos, and dining on his famous Spanikopita, a dish so unbelievably delicious it would make any child love spinach, the children labored by moving boxes from a large moving van into their uncle’s new home.

    However, the day was not all peaceful. The eldest niece, Amanda had gotten into an argument with her cousin whilst unloading boxes in their “Uncle Merlin’s” study.

    “I’m the only one who can call him Merlin!” yelled Amanda.

    “Why’s that? He’s my uncle too, you know!” replied Kristen.

    “It’s…special. You’re not old enough to remember what he was like when he was my age. Not even when he was your age!”

    “Huh? What do you mean?” 

    “He could do incredible things…just by talking! The stories he would tell, his stories…they were magic. He could make all sorts of things come alive. Dragons, even! He could make it snow, with just a whisper. He was magic. He was a magician, a wizard…like Merlin!”

    “You’re making that up!” exclaimed Mitchell, carrying a small silver suitcase.

    “Shut up!” yelled Amanda, “It was when I was a little girl…before you two were born.”

    “Amanda…”

    “Stop.”

    “But, Amanda…”

    “SHUT UP!” yelled Amanda again, stepping forward menacingly.

    Out of fear, Mitchell dropped the silver suitcase as he moved his arms to defend himself. This was not uncommon; brothers and sisters are known to argue. It was only natural that young Mitchell would become distracted and forget about the suitcase. What happened next, however, was extraordinary. As the suitcase hit the wooden floor of the small study, all three latches flew up at once. The case sprung open, and emerging from it was a small, rectangular, grey and black shoebox. The box flew out from the case and whizzed just past the two girl’s ears. As if guided by some otherworldly force, the box continued to fly towards the doorway until it landed with a thud at the feet of Marius, who looked at the children in confusion.