Little Boxes
*
When I opened the matchbox and
looked inside, I naturally
expected to find something,
because there’s usually
something in boxes and containers.
I wasn’t expecting matches — no,
definitely not! I wasn’t that
unimaginative, after all. But
there was nothing inside except a
small spinning disc with a spiral
painted on it. It looked like a
whirlwind, but one trapped in
a box. I’d never seen anything
like it before. Without
thinking, I spread myself thin
and leapt into the blue spiral
vortex. Instantly, I felt dizzy.
Everything spun around me, and
suddenly, I was sitting in a
meadow, where a tree stood,
solitary, but strong. Oddly,
matchboxes hung from its
branches like fruit. I picked
one and looked inside. Of
course, I expected to find
something. Matches? No, definitely
not! I wasn’t that
unimaginative now. But once again,
there was nothing inside except a
small spinning disc with a spiral,
like the one I had just
encountered. A whirlwind, trapped in
a box. It was all too familiar.
Once more, I spread myself thin
and jumped into the blue spiral
vortex. The dizziness
returned, this time even
stronger, and when the spinning
stopped, I was back in the
meadow, only now there were more
trees—trees with matchboxes growing
on them. I plucked one, my hand
hesitating over the lid.
But this time, I was afraid
to look inside.
|