The Package

Prompt: You find a package at your door with nothing on it but your name.

When the doorbell rang, I sprang up from my position on the floor where I had been exercising. I raced to the door and opened it, but there was nobody there.  Then I glanced down and saw a package on the welcome mat.

It was slightly bigger than a shoebox and wrapped in plain paper. My name was written in black marker across the top.

I stared at the package wondering what to do. Twenty years ago I would have picked it up, took it in the house and opened it.  Now I hesitated, What if it was a bomb or a severed hand?  It could be anything.  Should I call the police or would they think I was insane? 

With my heart thumping in my chest I stood perfectly still and stared down at the offending box.  I wished I had x-ray vision, so I could look through the package and see inside.

I told myself to calm down and considered my options. I was not calling the police and making a fool of myself.  After all, who would leave a bomb or a severed hand at my door?

Determined, I squeezed my eyes shut, picked up the package and took it inside.  I set it on the table and took a deep breath.  I carefully began to open the box...