The Thing That Wasn’t a Box

I found something! It was sitting on the coffee table and I grabbed it. Usually when I do that mommy takes my treasure away, but this time she let me hold on to it for a while. This gave me the opportunity to examine what I found.

I turned it this way and that way to get a good look from all angles. It was rectangular and covered in pictures. It was smooth and solid to the touch. It was not very heavy and I could easily wave it in the air over my head. It didn’t have a distinct flavour but when I chewed it for a while, it left a funny aftertaste in my mouth. Not very tasty. Probably not food.

I put it down in front of me and sat back to see what it would do. It doesn’t do anything. I gave it a good smack with the palm of my hand and it made a loud thwack. I liked that. I spent some time trying to see what kind of sound I could get out of it.

I was starting to think that this object must be a simple box. I must have smacked it too vigorously because at one point, it flipped over. That’s when I noticed that one side had a hole in the middle. I tried to stick my hand in that hole but something stopped me. There was definite resistance. This is no box!

I took a closer look and realized this wasn’t just a hole. It was in fact a different kind of surface. It was not covered in pictures, or smooth, or solid. It had even less flavour and it didn’t make a thwack when I smacked it. I had never seen anything like it before.

It was almost invisible and kind of squishy. Not the kind of squishy like pieces of banana when I squeeze them in my fists. More like the plastic bags that my snacks come in. I poked at it for a while, and then suddenly, it ate my hand!

I flailed and I flailed but it wouldn’t get off my hand. It was definitely stuck in there. Mommy saw my struggle and she came over to help. With a bit of maneuvering my hand was free. I must admit that I was a bit relieved to have my hand back.