The Magic Cardboard Box Stephen G. McKenna   © Copyright 2024 by Stephen G. McKenna

Photo by Cottonbro Studio at Pexels.

Good friends I am close to have two young children - a girl and a boy. Oh dear, it’s Christmas – what to do? Money is tight as I wonder what to give the young ones for Christmas.

My current job has me working in a warehouse moving items of all sizes, including their respective cardboard boxes. One day while looking at some of the extra-large boxes, I am inspired and conveniently solve my Christmas gift dilemma. My manager agrees to let me to take two empty flat-pack boxes that are six feet tall with a 4’ x 4’-foot opening. These will be the presents for the kids and, luckily, my boss feels it is a great idea.

On Christmas Eve, I call my friends and ask if I can drop off my presents for the kids. Once the kids are in bed, I arrive with the two huge boxes which perplexes the parents.

Knowing they have a spacious basement, I quickly suggest, “Let’s go downstairs!”

My pal and I guide the items down and unfold the boxes on their side. We then tape the open ends of each box together, setting them at a bit of an angle from each other. This creates a large passageway for the two little ones to run through.

My friend smiles and says, “This is genius! They are going to love it,” then asks, “Should we decorate them?”

After only a moment of considering his question, I reply “No, I’d suggest letter the kids do whatever they want.”

I then hand him two large markers (one red, the other black) brought along for the kids to use and say, “Let’s see what they come up with. Your son can get one side and his sister the other.”

With that done, we adults move to the living room and toast the season. With an early morning ahead for these two, I leave shortly thereafter.

On Christmas morning, well before I am to join my family at my mother’s house, my friend’s wife calls and tells me, “The boxes are a big hit!”

I tell her, “Glad to hear it”, and ask, “So, how was Christmas morning at your house?”

She laughs and says sarcastically, “Well, it didn’t matter how much money we and our parents spent on the kids, they don’t care about them! The magic cardboard boxes in the basement are all they’ve talk about and play with since they got up.”

Smiling at this success, I tell her, “Excellent news. Glad to know they are having fun.”

She then tells me, “My daughter used both magic markers to draw a house on the inside and outside of her box and her brother designed a fort in his section. We cut windows where they wanted and the two are still down there now having a lot of fun. With the size they are, they don’t have to crouch to get in and run in and out their ‘tunnel’, as they call it, as fast as they can.”

At dinner that night with my family, I tell them about the present I’d given my good friends’ children and everyone smiled at the notion of little ones with a box and their imagination.

A number of years later, there is a similar repeat performance at a house up the street. A lady runs a daycare in her home with five or six kids. We all see her walking the little charges around the neighbourhood most days and wave hello.

When a friend just around the corner purchased a new refrigerator, I figure this lady’s young wards might like the big empty box. I ask for, and am given, the sizable box that once surrounded one of those shiny huge double-sized fridges.

I drag the box up the street to the daycare and offer it to the lady. At first, she is reluctant and says, “There isn’t enough room in the house for something that size.”

I suggest, saying, “Why not put it in the back yard? The kids will love it, you’ll see!”

She finally decides it is a good idea and opens the gate for me. Dragging the large item into her yard, like before, I set it up on its side and cut a few windows for the little ones to peer out of.

Two days later, while taking the kids for their daily walk, she stops and tells me, “The kids just love the box! Thank you very much. How did you know?”

Not telling her the original story, with a grin I simply reply, “Hey, kids and a big box, what else do you need?”

*****

I am a writer of short stories with one published (for free) in a book titled, '101 Things to Ponder During a Pandemic', in London, Ontario. All proceeds were donated to Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness in the same city. There is also a self-published book I wrote and put out: a biography of my maternal grandfather who was Canada's 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 'Grace and Wisdom'. Although well received, as you can imagine, the costs of the research, publishing and all, certainly exceed the book's income. http://www.chiefjusticekerwin.ca