Boxes

Meet Sam. He's your typical college student juggling schoolwork, a lackluster job at the local coffee shop, and a moody and taciturn roommate. When his girlfriend (and coworker) breaks up with him, Sam doesn't think he'll ever recover. Soon he starts rece

 

BOXES

 

“Are you ever going to tell me what you’re keeping in that box, Myst?” I asked, watching as my roommate sat crossed legged on the couch peering into the small cedar box.

 

“No,” Myst answered simply as she closed the lid, the click of the lock sounding shortly after. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my book that I had been reading. I’d never understood my roommate. After three years the girl still managed to remain a complete mystery to me. Having long since abandoned my attempts at being a friend to her, we had come to settle for small talk. “Someone called you yesterday.”

 

“Excuse me?” I asked, shocked that she had initiated conversation.

 

“They left a name and address.”

 

My brows furrowed. “I didn’t see anything like that written down on the notepad by the phone.”

 

“I memorized it. Dr. Taylor Katzan. 52 Heartbreak Lane.”

 

Heartbreak Lane? Sounds like an Elvis song or something. “I don’t know anyone by that name,” I said, setting my book down on the table. Finding my roommates behavior strange – or at least stranger than usual – I stood then moved to stand in front of her. Looking down at her, I asked, “Did this doctor say what he wanted?”

 

“Just that he could help you with that pain you’ve been feeling in you chest,” she said, looking up to me. I suddenly felt my pulse quicken and knew that my eyes had gone wide, which I quickly fixed by narrowing them.

 

“How did you…”

 

“It’s past one. You’re late for work.”

 

*                      *                      *                      *

The coffee shop I worked at was bustling with people today, which was a sign that something was definitely off. Starbucks surrounded us on all sides and the shop was lucky if we had a handful of people walk in everyday. But now I suddenly found myself pushing through the crowd of people just to get to the counter.

 

 Myst’s weird behavior had left me frazzled and incredibly uneasy. How did she know? We barely talked, so how the hell did she know that I had had my heart ripped out a few weeks ago by my on again off again girlfriend? But the question that repeated in my mind was: How did this Katzan guy know?

 

“Off day?” the all too familiar female voice asked as I finally made it behind the counter. Krista. My ex-girlfriend. At 5’7”, long blonde hair, and blue eyes that shined like sapphires, she had the look of the girl next door and the head of the cheerleading team. Blonde she might’ve been, but a fool she was not. She was smart, sexy, and sassy. A real catch. Yea, a catch that you couldn’t hold onto, a voice in the back of my head reminded me.

 

“How’d you guess?”

 

She smiled, “Because you’re late. You’re never late unless there’s a damn good reason.”

 

“Yes well my roommate oh spooky one was playing a prank on me.” I resisted the urge to add in, ‘Or at least I hope she was.’

 

Krista placed a hand on my shoulder. It always amazed me how one touch from her could make everything seem right, if even for a split second. “Just ignore her.”

 

I nodded, did all I could not to swoon at the smile she flashed, then watched her walk off to one of the tables. Sighing lightly, I grabbed my pen, my notepad, and then started taking orders. By the time my break came around, I was sure that I had enjoyed working at the place more when I actually had time to space out. Finding an open table, I sat down and sipped the cup of Chai tea that I desperately needed. “Time for some R&R.”

 

“Excuse me, young man…” Came a voice to the side of me and I resisted the urge to groan aloud.

 

“Yes?” I said, turning to look at an older fellow with thinning black hair.

 

“That waitress over there,” He said, motioning to Krista. “She’s your ex isn’t she?”

 

“What?”

 

“That girl. You two use to date, didn’t you?”

 

I looked to Krista then back to the man. “Uh, yea.”

 

He nodded slowly. “You know, I have the card of this guy who can help you get over her.”

 

“Thanks for the offer but I really don…”

 

“Trust me. Dr. Katzan saved my life. One moment I was down and the next I was able to move on.”

 

Eyes widening – that seemed to be happening a lot today – I watched him. “I’m sorry, did you say Katzan?”

 

The man nodded, a smile on his face. “Yea. He’s great. Here.” He handed me the card. “He allows walk-ins. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”

 

I looked down at the card, thumb running over the text. “How did…” When I looked up, the man was gone.

 

*                      *                      *                      *

 

The following day I was sure I had hallucinated the whole thing and decided to blame it on the stress of finals as well as lack of sleep. I’d made it a point to be out of the apartment before Myst had woken up just in case. Although I had gone to the library to join my friend for another study session, studying was the last thing on my mind.

 

“You think I’m crazy don’t you?”

 

Sean shook his head. “No man, I just think that you’ve got a lot of sick time coming, that’s all.”

 

“I wouldn’t be too surprised if you were right.” I sighed. “I mean, I have the guy’s card.”

 

Sean rose a brow. “You have his card? Let me see it man.”

 

My hand dove into the pocket of the pants I wore, the same ones I had worn yesterday. Feeling the piece of stiff paper, I pulled it out then handed it to him. Sean took it and I watched as my friend’s brows furrowed. That’s never a good sign.

 

“What?”

 

He looked to me. “Sam, this is a blank piece of paper. There’s nothing on it.”

 

“What do you mean? The guy handed it to me and I looked right at the address,” I said, taking the piece of paper from him. Turning it over I found myself staring down at a blank side. I flipped it over again. Blank. “No. No, yesterday there was writing on this card.”

 

“Maybe you just imagined it.”

 

I shook my head. “No, I’m not making this up. I’m telling you, there was writing on it. Dr. Taylor Katzan. 52 Heartbreak Lane.”

 

“Ok, Sam,” Sean said in a tone that was clearly disbelieving. “I believe you.”

 

“You’re mocking me.”

 

“Sam, c’mon…”

 

“Whatever man,” I said. It suddenly felt as though the room was shrinking. I’d prove him wrong, I’d show him I wasn’t crazy. As I made my way to the exit, I caught a glimpse of a man I had seen in the coffee shop the previous day. When I looked to him, he motioned me over. The man was skinny, middle-aged, and as I got closer I realized that he was blind in one eye.

 

“Don’t drink,” the man said.

 

“What are you talking about?” I asked, watching the man though his eyes looked off someplace else.

 

“Don’t drink. When you go to see Katzan don’t drink.”

 

Katzan again! “Don’t drink what?”

 

“You will know when you arrive.”

 

I sighed deeply but then it clicked. If I wanted to prove to Sean that I wasn’t crazy then this man could help. He was right here talking about Katzan, warning me about something. But how to get him to stay? Lie. “I’ve got a friend who needs to hear this warning. Stay right here.”

 

I found Sean at the table we had been working at earlier and all but dragged him to where I had seen the man. “I can prove to you that I’m not crazy. There’s this guy who can…”

 

“What guy?” Sean asked, gaze in front of us.

 

Looking to where my mysterious messenger sat, I realized that he was gone. “Not again.” I looked to Sean. “I’m telling you there was someone here. He was warning me about Katzan.”

 

“Sam, I think you need to go home and lie down.”

 

Right, lying down while I was hallucinating was just what I wanted to do.

 

*                      *                      *                      *

 

The walk home did nothing to calm my nerves. I was sure that I was losing my mind, sure that I’d be one of those guys who’d end up in a straightjacket and spend the rest of my days in a sterile environment with padding on the walls. Who was this Katzan guy? How’d he know? Why did all these messengers – one telling me how great he was, another warning me – disappear each time I looked away for a split second?

 

I ticked off these questions over and over as I paced furiously in the living room of my apartment. Each little sound that I heard caused my pulse to accelerate. If I’m not driven mad by this I’ll surely end up being neurotic. There was only one way to find out who this Katzan guy was; I had to go see him. I called Krista’s cell phone and left a message to let her know where I would be, just in case the Katzan guy did exist and I suddenly forget the warning I had been issued earlier.

As I walked my hand fiddled with the card that was in my pocket. Ok, maybe you did make it up. I pulled the card out again, eyes staring at the fine print: Dr. Taylor Katzan. 52 Heartbreak Lane. “I knew I wasn’t making it up.”

 

But how come it was there one moment and gone the next? A voice in my head chimed. I intended to find out.

 

*                      *                      *                      *

 

The moment I walked into the office, I was greeted with a smile from the red haired secretary.

 

“Mr. Lewis, we’ve been expecting you.”

 

“So I’ve been told. Just out of curiosity, how did you know my last name?”

 

The smile grew. “We make it a point to know all who are suffering from what you have.”

 

Nodding, I moved to sit down in one of the chairs. “Of course.”

 

I’d never been a fan of doctors and the fact that this doctor just so happened to be number one on the creepy list, didn’t help me any. The only comfort I could find was that I had found the office, that it really existed, and that meant I could show my friends that I wasn’t insane.

 

“The doctor will see you now,” she said, her voice sickening sweet causing me to have the sudden urge to want to brush my teeth. I stood. “All the way down the hall, first door on your right.”

 

“Thanks,” I said as I made my way down the hall. So this was it. I was finally going to find out why this man was tormenting me. The door to the room was open. I noticed that it was dimly lit. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

 

A cold hand placed itself on my shoulder and I jumped three feet in the air before turning on my heel to come face to face with… “You.”

 

“Hello, Mr. Lewis. I trust that you found the place easily.”

 

I concentrated on slowing my heart rate. “It was you at the coffee shop. So what was that, self promotion?”

 

He chuckled. “Something like that.”

 

“Why didn’t you just say it was you?” I asked.

 

“I prefer that my clients find their own way here,” Katzan said as he ushered me into the room. The room was cold, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to rise and goosebumps to form. “So, that waitress, how long ago was it that you two broke up?”

 

“About three weeks,” I answered. He pushed me back into the chair in the room.

 

“How long had you been together before then?”

 

“On and off for about five years. But it had been a year together without any problems…”

 

“I see.” He moved over to a drawer and began to rummage around in it. “What happened?”

 

Watching him closely, I said, “I’m not sure. She didn’t really explain.”

 

The clicking of heels echoed down the hall and I soon caught a glimpse of the flaming red hair of the secretary. She was holding something in her hand, I could just make out the shape of it in the dim light. A cup. The other man’s warning sounded in my mind. Easy. Don’t panic.

 

“Thank you, Joanne.” Katzan grabbed the cup from her then turned to me. “Here, something to help you relax.”

 

“That’s all right, I’m pretty relaxed as it is,” I lied, praying that he didn’t catch on.

 

Katzan tensed. “It’s procedure. You need to drink this.”

 

“Really, I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”

 

“Mr. Lewis you’re going to force me to do something that I don’t want to do.” The good doctor’s voice had become cold, uncaring, and it caused a shiver to run through me. I needed to get out. I needed to leave.

 

“You know, I just remembered that I’m late for work, so I should be going.” I said, beginning to move out the chair.

 

“Sit down, Samuel…and I promise this won’t hurt.”

 

Ok, time to panic! Ignoring his warning, I leapt out of the seat, ran out of the room, and then out of the office. I knew that there was only one place I could go where I could feel safe. Krista’s. Though we were on the outs, she’d always been a safe haven. I didn’t stop running.

 

*                      *                      *                      *

 

“Sam, my God, what happened?” Krista asked once she had opened the door. I knew how I must’ve looked. Clothes soaking with sweat and me panting.

 

“Let me in and I’ll explain.” I said once I had caught my breath enough to speak.

 

“Sure.”

 

Nodding my thanks, I walked past her and into the kitchen where I poured a much needed glass of water. The cool liquid managed to put me at ease as I drank it down then all but collapsed onto a bar stool.

 

“Ok, what happened?” Krista asked, moving to lean against the counter across from me.

 

“You haven’t talked to Sean have you?”

 

She shook her head, “No, why? Does he have something to do with this?”

 

“No, I was just curious.” I gathered my thoughts. “Look, you remember that prank I told you that Myst had played on me?” At her nod, I continued. “Well, it wasn’t a prank. Dr. Katzan is a real guy. He’s a real doctor. I went there today, I had to prove that I wasn’t crazy. Turns out that I’m not the one who’s crazy, it’s the Katzan guy. He went from nice guy to crazy guy in a matter of moments. I…”

 

“Whoa, Sam, calm down. It’s all right, you’re all right.” She said, hand reaching out to take mine. “Look, let me change and then you can take me there, ok?”

 

I nodded. “Yea, all right.”

 

She smiled. “Don’t worry, we’re going to figure this out, ok?”

 

Once she had left the kitchen I sighed and looked around, my eyes coming to rest on a small, cedar box on a shelf. It looked just like the one Myst had. “Hey, Krista!”

 

“Yea?” she called back to me.

 

“I, uh, was wondering what you have in that cedar box.” I got up from the barstool then quietly made my way towards her bedroom. If she was changing, there wouldn’t be anything I hadn’t seen before…or so I thought. As I came to lean against the doorframe, I saw her reflection in the full length mirror. Along the left side of her chest was a large scar.

 

As I continued to watch her, she answered, “It was something that I once valued.”

 

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

 

I was met with silence.

 

“Krista?”

 

“You know Sam, you should’ve just drank what they offered you. It makes you forget all the pain.”

 

My eyes widened and I backed away from her bedroom door. I quickly walked to the front door, opened it, and found Sean staring back at me. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Sam, Sam, Sam. You should’ve just listened to the good old doctor.”

 

“Not you too,” I said, backing up.

 

Sean nodded. “Yes, me too. You see Dr. Katzan offers a wonderful alternative to heartache.”

 

“No heart at all,” Krista said, walking up behind me. “I got sick of your words breaking it.”

 

I looked to Sean. “And what’s your story?”

 

“I got tired of seeing my best friend with the girl that I deserved all along.”

 

Krista placed her arms around my waist. “It’s not as bad as it seems, Sam. It’s actually wonderful. Metal is hard to break.”

 

“You can’t make me.”

 

Sean smiled cruelly. “Oh, but we can.”

 

A sharp pain and then darkness.

 

*                      *                      *                      *

 

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. The steady rhythm of the monitor caused me to awake. Flashes of what had happened coursed through my mind, causing me to sit up. A pain flew up my side, so strong that it sent me back down to the bed. Wait…my side? Then, it hadn’t really happened. It was just a dream.

 

“Hey, good you’re up,” Krista said, her smiling face coming into view.

 

“What happened?” I asked.

 

“You were in an accident.” I felt her fingers run through my hair.

 

“An accident?” A small laugh escaped me. “Krista, I had the weirdest damn dream ever.”

 

She smiled. “Did ya now?”

 

“Yea, I dreamt that…” Across the room, on the window sill, a wooden box. “What’s that?”

 

“What’s what?”

 

“That. That box. What is that?”

 

“A box.”

 

I felt my pulse quickening. “What’s inside it?”

 

“Shhhh…” Krista placed a hand on my chest. “Calm down, you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

 

THE END.

Author's Note

One of my favorite short stories that I've written.