[ WP ] The Little Black Box

-011 
 
 
 The little black box came in the mail on a rainy Thursday afternoon. 
 
 It was 1989, and I was a boy of ten years. Exactly ten, as it was my birthday. 
 
 My celebrations were n't slated to be until the next week, so besides a quick happy birthday from everyone in my family, it was just another day of summer vacation, too close to school for comfort. 
 
 I had spent the better part of the morning underfoot of everyone trying to do anything productive, and had gotten scolded for it, lightly though, considering it was.my birthday. After being locked out of the room I shared with my older brother, shoed away from the napping younger sister, and threatened by my mother to leave the kitchen before she skinned me alive, I decided to sulk on the closed in front porch, feeling unusually depressed. 
 
 As I watched the rain fall and form the puddles, I imagined all of the fun and exciting things that all of my friends were doubtlessly doing in the rain. I imagined them puddle jumping, and getting muddy, messing about in the river, all without me. In a sense, it being my birthday was a curse, because on the one day when I wanted to have fun and get dirty, I could n't because we were going to a restaurant later that evening. So I sat there lost in thought, staring out the window watching rain splatter on the ground. 
 
 I barely noticed the mailman, he had almost come up to the door before I was aware of his presence. Whether it was because I was so lost in thought or because the mailman was extrodanairly furtive I will never be certain. The mailman did seem to make his rounds especially quickly that afternoon, but that was probably the rain. On this particular day however, he had a package to deliver, and since I was in the closed in porch, I received it first. It looked like a gift packages for mail travel, it's distinctive stamping and labeling looked official, and considering it was my birthday, naturally I opened the large brown box. 
 
 To my surprise, inside of the box was two things, a card in an envelope addressed to me, and a little black box, about the size of a shoebox, maybe a little larger, with odd holes cut into the top if it. Other than that, it looked smooth. 
 
 Remembering my mothers advice on the proper order of gift opening, which to the uninformed, states that cards are to be opened first, I tore open the cream envelope addressed to me. 
 
 Inside I found a ten dollar bill, a card with a generic birthday message from my uncle who lived on the other side of the country, and met as often as you would expect, and a gift card for a video I had wanted. What was curious about the note was that there was a ps. that a interested me, 
 
 *Ps. Hope you love your present, it will last forever, and tell your mother not to be afraid of your gift* 
 
 I pocketed the money, put the card back in the envelope, set aside the game, and focused my attentions on the box. It was a little black box, made of black plastic, and had holes on the top side. Even under the light of a nearby lamp I could not see what was inside through the holes, and my pinky finger did not come close to being able to fit in the largest of the holes. I flipped it over to examine the bottom,.and heard whatever.what was on the inside fall to the new bottom, and squeak. I realized then that box had a lid, which had fit so smoothly on the box that previously had gone unnoticed. 
 
 Slowly, I lifted up the lid of the box, revealing a small animal nestled into the folds of a red blanket. At first I thought it was a puppy or a kitten, judging from the size and the shape of the now wriggling bundle. Then I pulled off the cloth, unsnuggling my new pet, which gave another squeak of indignation, and used its small claws to pull the blanket out of my hand, and renestled itself. I gaped in awe of my new Dragon.
