[ WP ] The Little Black Box

Sharp scrapes could be heard coming from the kitchen as a mother and her daughter stuffed shells with ricotta cheese. The mother worked hastily, quickly scooping and distributing the cheese with practiced motions, and the child tried an imperfect imitation but was too distracted with her own airy questions that she knew would be met with irritation if asked. She did, however, disrupt the silence with a complaint. 
 
 “ Mama, these shells are uneven! ” 
 
 “ What? ” 
 
 “ The cheese, mama, they ’ re all filled different! ” 
 
 The mother continued her uneven stuffing uninterrupted, lips pursed in a scowl. “ That ’ s the way it is, *carina*. Some shells will have a little more cheese, and some will have a little less. ” 
 
 A sharp rap came at the outside door. The mother instructed her daughter to continue the work and kissed her on the forehead, and went to answer. Outside stood an officer of the law, pants pressed and baton at his side. He handed the mother a note titled “ Notice of Eviction. ” She needed to have all of her things out of the house by 5 o clock that afternoon. The mother read the note, and stared severely at the officer, expectant of some further interaction. She erupted, 
 
 “ Well?! Do n't you have anything to say?! ” 
 
 The officer cleared his throat. “ You will be provided with a box to store your valuables. ” 
 
 The officer walked away, and behind him sat the little black box, about a foot high and two feet wide. The mother put in a locket, a journal, a few of her daughter ’ s drawings and her life ’ s savings, and made arrangements for her furniture to be stored at her sister ’ s place, and that was it. She and her daughter stood outside, cheese still stuck to her daughter ’ s fingers. 
 
 “ Mama, where do we go now? ” 
 
 The mother stared at the vagabond searching through trash on the other side of the street. As she stared, a black Lamborghini turned the corner onto their street, bass thumping filling the atmosphere. She tried to peer into the window but saw only darkness. As it went on, it left her behind, daughter in one hand, black box in the other. 

