The Box Paradox | ✅

Chapter 1

Micaela didn't notice the sunset. In fact, Micaela didn't notice many things at all; maybe that's one of the downsides of having an iPhone. You see, if your dad's a squillionaire, there probably aren't many things he can't buy. That's saying, an iPhone is probably the equivalent of you buying a pack of Haribos when you've got a hundred pounds on your card.

The sun was a bright semi-circle, burning the whole sky so much that it started bleeding a poisonous chrisom. Micaela was too caught up in Flappy Birds (limited edition) to notice the Ferrari Sergio parking up perfectly in the grand driveway. She didn't hear her father's footsteps enter through the door and eventually make their way up the glass staircase.

The only thing she did notice was the door opening and a tall figure standing in the doorway.

"Micaela. I'm home." His voice was expressionless, like a robot droning. "I'll be in my office. Please do not disturb me."

She looked up and immediately the sound of a cartoon crash filled the room. "Daad!" she wailed. "I was on eighty-six! You made me lose!"

Her father turned away and then stopped dead in his tracks as Micaela threw the iPhone to the other end of the room in her anger. Pieces of glass shattered and the device littered the floor.

"It's your birthday, Micaela." He turned around, eyeing the smashed phone on the floor, blank screen staring forlornly at the ceiling. "And as for that phone, I'll ask my PA to get you a new one."

There's another thing I forgot to mention. Micaela had a terrible memory. And a terrible temper. Which often led to terrible tantrums.

Just a warning.

"Birthday?" Micaela shrugged, glancing too at the smashed phone on the floor. "That's nice."

That's probably not the reaction you were expecting. Being the daughter of a very, very, very (I will keep on saying very) famous man, every day was a birthday. If there was anything Micaela wanted, all she had to do was tell her Dad's personal assistant who would get it for her.

"Anything you want in particular?"

In Micaela's mind, there was a conversation going like this:

What should I get for my birthday?

Money?

No. already have loads.

Phone?

Nah, an iPhone's enough.

What do you want? What do you really want?

Micaela thought for a few more seconds. There was something she really wanted but she had been too scared to say it. What did every person want? She knew that deep down every person wanted power and control and the ability to make decisions for themselves, like when a four-year-old stops you from doing his coat buttons up because he wants to be a grown up. She knew deep down that that was the sort of person she was. Now she had this feeling that this moment may be a way to address that desire. She also had this other feeling that her father was going to be especially generous this year.

Something told her that this might actually be the moment.

So that was when Micaela said, "A world. I want a world, Daddy."

Her father looked surprised at this but then composed himself so the expression didn't even last for a second. Must have been a habit from being round so many cameras.

So, a week later when Micaela had finally exceeded her record of on-hundred-and-thirty-two on Flappy Birds, her father did the usual thing. Got the chauffeur to drive him home before he locked himself in his study, hard at work.