What's In The Box?

I came home, and there it was. A small non-descript package. It’s not Amazon; you can always tell it’s an Amazon package from the tape. It's a dead giveaway. It wasn't Walmart either. I didn't order anything, but I took the package in anyway. I looked at the box, and it was addressed to me with no return information. I didn't know who would order something for me, so I opened the box, and it was a coffee mug. I thought whoever sent this knew me because I am a crazy coffee fanatic. I wrapped my hands around it and noticed that it was curved on the sides and was heavy for its size; it would take more than a fall off the counter to break that bad boy. It says Moon Pie in blue writing on opposite sides of it and it's encased in a ring shaped like the stain a cup of coffee would make on a table; it is shaped like a crescent moon. I gasped. In any ordinary case, this would be a fun gift to give to a friend or a family member, but in this case, the mug was from one of my friends. The only thing odd about this was that this friend . . . was dead. At least I think he is because he’s been missing for the last fifteen years.

Steve and I were close, and Moon Pies were our thing. We'd always have them for lunch in school, and one time after we graduated, we took a trip to the Moon Pie store in Tennessee. I knew where that mug came from, and I knew who it was from, but it was impossible. Steve mysteriously disappeared; we never knew what happened to him. So, where did this mystery gift come from? I figured the person who sent it would eventually come to light. Mysteries like this one always end up with finding out the true meaning of the act. It may be time to bring back the old gang.

I need to get ahold of everyone and tell them what happened. We made a pact many years ago that if there was ever any more information or some way to contact Steve, we all needed to return. They will all meet at my house. I’m the only one who never moved out of town.

The team was Neal, Keith, Sarah, Julius and me. Once everyone arrives, we greet each other with hugs and handshakes. Now, we’re all seated in my living room. I start by bringing out the coffee mug. “I received this; there was no indication of who left it and where it came from." There was silence throughout the room.

Then Keith said, “I had Parappa the Rapper automatically download from the PlayStation store. You know that Parappa and Final Fantasy were his favorite games”. 

“Someone sent me a gift basket with 12 pre-cut frozen jalapeno cheddar bagels,” Neal said. That was Steve’s bagel.

"What about you, Sarah?” I asked.

“There was a playlist added to my iPod that included all the songs that Steve and I listened to. Wil, it just showed up!"

We all seem to have had some strange occurrences, “What about you, Julius?"

“I was walking through the library, and a book fell off the shelf. It was The Neverending Story. His favorite.” Julius said.

“I guess it means something, but what? “I said.

“I think we need to return to the cabin,” Sarah says. “There may be some clues there”.

“That’s a good idea," I said.

“Thank you, Wil." 

“Alright, guys. Going back to the cabin could clarify something; maybe we lost something, or we’ll get a clue.”

The gang gathers up their coats, and we head outside. We go out to the woods to our childhood hiding spot. The cabin wasn't really a cabin, but the remnants of one; you could make out the kitchen and part of a bedroom. The rest looked like the house from The Wizard of Oz after the fall. It was deep in the deserted woods behind my house. We arrive at the cabin, and it's just as we left it. "I guess kids these days have better things to do than going outside to play," Keith said.

“It’s either video games or extra-curricular activities.” Julius gets a look from the others. “What? The pressure is really on some of these kids to succeed academically," said Julius. “You guys find anything?”. I think he said that more to reassure us that he didn’t find anything bad. 

“What about the cemetery?” asked Neal.

“Good idea," I said. The cemetery was maybe 100 yards away from the abandoned shack that we called the cabin. We reach the cemetery and start looking around. This spot is just as abandoned as the cabin, with tombstones everywhere. I’m following Keith, with Neal close behind. I don't remember it being as difficult to run as it is today, although I haven't done any running in a long time. It's beginning to get dark.

“Hey guys? What is that?" Sarah pointed to a hole in the ground that looked like oozing black sludge.

“Don’t touch it!" I shouted. “We don't know what or where it’s coming from.” I took out a stick and poked around it. Could this be what Steve was trying to tell us? Is there some gateway to hell taking place in these backwoods? Is it demons? I looked around, expecting to see a pentagram and a record playing The Beatles Helter Skelter backward.

A burst of bright light explodes, and floating there before the group is Steve. "It's good you guys found it, " Steve says.

I was in awe of the spectacle I beheld. I spoke first. “What happened to you?” I said.

“It’s a long story, I was out here playing around, and then I heard two men talking in the distance. As I approached them, I realized they were armed. And the rest is history. Nobody found my body because it was dumped in a big vat of this stuff.”

“How were you able to send us the signs”? I asked.

“You know how sometimes you’re working, but most of your attention is on something else? Well, if you send a thought to someone in the right mental state, they pretty much accept any suggestion you give them," Steve said. 

“So why are you here?” Julius asked.

“Once they built the power plant, they realized they had so much of this waste product. They didn’t know what to do with it, so they built manmade aquifers filled with this stuff and this waste. What you’re witnessing is the last of the aquifers being filled with sludge. I’m afraid it’s too late for me, but you guys need to finish the job. You must take two samples, then call the EPA and the CDC so they can analyze it and have some basis to shut the plant down.”

“Guys, let's get on it. Everyone look around for something glass that’s usually pretty stable," I responded.

Neal spoke up,” I found an empty bottle of Mayo.” 

“And I got a pickle jar," Keith said. We were very careful not to touch the sludge. “We have a little spill here, Sarah. Do you have some water?"

“Why is it that just because I’m a woman and have a handbag that you think I must carry a bottle of water?" Sarah replied.

"Well, do you?" I asked. Sarah gives me a scalding look as she pulls out a bottle of water and hands it to me. I rinse out the bottle and put the lid on tightly.

There’s one thing that doesn’t make any sense, why now? If Steve had gone through all this trouble getting us back together, why couldn't he have done it earlier?

“So, Steve, this must be really important for us to go through all this," I said. “One question crosses my mind: Why is this so important to happen now? You had fifteen years to contact us, so why wait so long? Maybe this issue wouldn’t have been so bad if you had contacted us sooner."

“Ha, you’ve caught me in a lie. My name is Chricton, and I am from the planet Holipto. I am transmitting my image through a wormhole connected to my own world. Thousands of years ago, those on my home planet sent out a peace envoy with information about us. We included samples of our DNA so you could know us more closely. It took us fifteen years for the information we gathered from your planet to reach us. By then, we had the technology to form an ethereal image to transport.” We all looked at each other. None of us believed this story.

I began, “I don’t think we should be helping you.”

Steve was now engulfed in smoke, puffed up three times his previous size. “It must be done now. I have waited here on this planet alone for too long. I am growing weary. I must complete my mission. You must distribute the samples. I must grow.” The sludge started moving around, coalescing into a giant blob.

Julius shouted, “I think we should get out of here!”

We scatter and run straight out of the place. After we clear the woods, we turn back. “So, guys,” I said, “What do we do about this?”

“It seems he can only exist as an incorporeal being, at least now. And can only get in people’s heads. I don't know much about this, but doesn't a wormhole go both ways?” Sarah mentioned. “Maybe we could send it back through the other side of the wormhole?”

“That would be too difficult to do without a plan or equipment” Keith said. ”Do you guys remember War of the Worlds? Their solution was a virus. Why else would their planet want to infiltrate the CDC?” 

“Let me make a few calls," said Neal. We make it back to my house, trying to get in touch with someone who will listen. “Guys, I have a friend from NOAA who has a friend at Walter Reed in Bethesda and the Special Forces. They’ve confirmed the story, fifteen years ago something fell out of the sky. It probably ate Steve, and it got all of Steve's memories. Anyway, the good guys are on the way.”

Minutes later, a chopper comes out of the air. The guy from the CDC comes out and talks with us. “Alright, you were right to think about us. I have a disease bomb," he says, holding up a suitcase. “Let’s go do it.”

We all go out to show the CDC guy where the confrontation happened in the woods. We get to the site and the slime monster is still there. Before it can say anything, the CDC guy throws the box at the slime monster. Then, just like that, the slime monster implodes on himself. The CDC guy said, “I just figured I'd throw the box at him, and I would see what stuck. Really, though, this is the fourth incident we’ve had. We are becoming pretty deft at dealing with this issue.” The cleanup crew rushes to the forest area and puts tents up to study the scene. We all go back to my house.

When we get to my house, everyone starts packing up to leave tomorrow, but we still have tonight. We spend the night drinking, reminiscing, and saluting the life of our dear childhood friend, Steve.