Holli, that's a charming story, and it took me back, rather; my mother died in 1994 and for some reason best known only to herself, she apparently kept everything she'd ever picked up in her entire life in a bazillion cartons, stacked to the ceiling joists. We actually found supermarket sale coupons from 1972. Everything was carefully bundled into rubber bands.

I liked your relatives' reactions, as well. All in all, I think that's some very nice work.

What are you calling it?

I don't actually have a title yet-- they aren't something I'm very good at. I usually call things I write "that story, you know, the one with the thing" until somebody comes up with a better title.

Maybe something like "Shadow Boxes"?

(just off the cuff)

"Boxed-Up"?

"Life in a Box"

"Box, Past Tense"

"Outside the Box"

Hmmmm.

OK, it occurs to me that I don't usually suck at this.

I have a page in my notebook with several of those written down, verbatim. Also a badly-drawn copy of the lid of my Dick Tracy lunchbox. And my math homework.

Sounds like the sort of notebook I used to keep in high school, except for the math homework, which, well, never mind. I, er, just didn't, is all.

Would an incredibly simple title ("The Compact" or somesuch) ring more bells, d you think?

I liked it, Holli -- what kind of thing do you want us to say about it?

Just a note though, that:

wondering is she had just moved in

is surely a typo for

wondering if she had just moved in

Thanks, John. My typing skills often... aren't. That's why I like as many people as possible to see something I've written before it's handed in anywhere-- less potential embarrassment.

Second draft of the box story. I didn't make a lot of changes-- fixed the typos and bad grammar, and added detail to a few thing. Here's the link. Other stuff on that page may be old, badly-written, and embarrassing.