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October 30, 2022 19 Comments

By Chuck Augello

Determined to win against his two older siblings, Jack crawled inside the cardboard box with Mom’s unwanted winter coat. He burrowed under its bulk and covered his face with the fake fur-lined hood. As the game dragged on, his brothers grew bored and ran to the kitchen for snacks.

Jack’s dad taped up the box and lugged it to the porch, surprised by its bulk (as was the UPS man who loaded it onto his truck). Thinking his brothers were messing with him, Jack said nothing.

He was returned the next day, but Amazon charged extra for the added shipping weight.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Howard Dart Humeston says

    October 30, 2022 at 8:56 am

    Funny!

    Reply
  2. Coco says

    October 30, 2022 at 9:24 am

    Nicely done!

    Reply
  3. Cathy Cade says

    October 30, 2022 at 10:55 am

    Great idea.

    Reply
  4. JK Hayward-Trout says

    October 30, 2022 at 1:26 pm

    Fun write for a comedy/sitcom.

    Reply
  5. lee says

    October 30, 2022 at 3:16 pm

    thanks for the funny story! nicely done

    Reply
  6. Cathryn says

    October 30, 2022 at 3:43 pm

    Hello Chuck,

    Clever little flash piece!!

    Reminds me of the children’s book “Inside, Outside, Upside Down.”

    One factual element prevented my full appreciation for this piece, Would, I thought reading it, a boy actually fit in a box that held only a fur coat?

    I felt the ending would be of greater impact if a more concise word was used to describe the coat. “Unwanted” made me think box was going as a donation to some charitable organization.

    My suggestion concerning writing style would be (my suggestion, only, so…) would be you might either tell the reader, “Determined to win against his two older siblings. . .”, or show by actions and thoughts his determination.

    Best,
    Cathryn

    Reply
  7. Meghashri Dalvi says

    October 31, 2022 at 1:26 am

    Funny! Would love to read the reactions at the other end when they received the bulky package!

    Reply
  8. yogita says

    November 1, 2022 at 5:31 am

    Ha ha..thank god Amazon returned it though 🙂

    Reply
  9. Warner Williams says

    November 2, 2022 at 7:35 am

    Good thing it’s a story. Nice job.

    Reply
  10. DAVID HIGHAM says

    November 2, 2022 at 9:37 am

    Really nice story and very funny. I agree with many of the other comments about your writing style and word choice. Was the box surprisingly bulky or heavy? But well done.

    Reply
  11. Kelly Louisa Balliu says

    November 2, 2022 at 10:43 am

    This was a clever story, as my skin was starting to prickle at the intention of horror, but then the comical element came in as a saviour. Fab little piece.

    Reply
  12. Kristie says

    November 2, 2022 at 12:01 pm

    I’m so glad this went the comedic way in the end and not the darker way. Well done!

    Reply
  13. Wendy M says

    November 2, 2022 at 12:13 pm

    Good one!

    Reply
  14. James R. Coffey says

    November 2, 2022 at 1:02 pm

    Clever–on a few different levels!

    Reply
  15. Doug Jacquier says

    November 2, 2022 at 2:59 pm

    Clever humorous story. Forget the nitpicking gratuitous advice and just keep writing.

    Reply
  16. Jean Barbaro says

    November 2, 2022 at 6:07 pm

    Fun story. Loved the title.

    Reply
  17. Pamela Cartlidge says

    November 3, 2022 at 1:40 pm

    Loved it!

    Reply
  18. Chuck Augello says

    November 6, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    Thanks everyone for reading the story and leaving a comment. It’s always appreciated.

    Reply
  19. Laurel McHargue says

    November 8, 2022 at 1:56 pm

    Hmmm. I’m not sure this was intended to have a comical ending. Who knows what conditions the boy in the box endured? Intense heat or cold overnight could kill a child taped inside a stuffed box. I sensed the horror in what “they” would find when they opened the box.

    Reply

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