SandBoxed Paradise...or is it a Prison

CHAPTER FIVE

Overcome with intrigue and almost out of sunlight I jumped to my feet and turned the crate over, carefully spilling the contents into a pile. The remaining objects were cushioned by numerous packets of daisy seeds. Even considering that first drawing, I found that quite strange.

Intermingled throughout the mess was a keychain. It was heavy with keys and sported a rubber, red and white S.O.S. ring...how ironic. There were also three black, pin-striped suits. Each was neatly folded and held together with a belt, a colored spring-loaded hair clip adorning the buckle.

Looking down at my naked body, I couldn't help but laugh. This wasn't really a suit-required kind of environment. Although, it crossed my mind that I should eventually try them on to see how it felt. If these were indeed my clothes, maybe it would jog a memory.

Who am I kidding?

Even without memories I knew I would never wear that.

The next item I picked up was covered in two colorful fabric sashes, which I promptly wrapped around my chest and hips.

Now, this is functional clothing for my situation!

After tying knots in all the appropriate places, I sat back down to investigate what had been packaged in my new apparel. It looked like a small jewelry box. It was made of rich, dark wood, with an ornate daisy border burned into it. I must have really liked daisies.

As I flipped up the decorative latch and opened the box, music began to play. It was beautiful. I couldn't remember anything about the song, yet hummed along. Suddenly, I was overcome with sadness. I have no explanation why, but my eyes welled increasingly with each note.

What does that mean?

As a single tear traveled down my cheek, I quickly found the little switch on the bottom and turned it off. Sadness was not an emotion I could afford. I may not remember my name or where I came from, but I was smart enough to realize that there was no room for despair here in my little world, not if I was going to survive.

Inside the jewelry box, I found several items. First, there was a music player and earphones which I declared useless after pressing every button. There was also a long charm necklace that was loaded with a large number of differently shaped charms. I put it around my neck with the plan to look at it more closely in the morning sunlight.

The final item inside was tied up in a little sachet bag. I pulled apart the top two corners and dumped the contents into the bottom. It was a ring. On closer inspection, it looked like a wedding ring.

Am I married?

As I scrutinized it in the dusky light, unexplainable emotions overwhelmed me yet again. This time it was not sadness. It was anger. I quelled the strange impulse to throw the ring into the lagoon and studied it. The longer I held onto it, the angrier I became. Not only that, the ring itself seemed to be building up heat. The more I seethed, the more my fingers burned, but I couldn't let go.

As I stared at the shiny band of gold, a vision of a fairy tale popped into my head. I had no memory of reading it, or any thoughts of where I might have learned it...but suddenly, I felt like the crate that arrived was Pandora's box. The subtle questions that had interested me as I wandered the island these many days were now screaming with rage. It was no longer a matter of wanting answers to quell my curiosity. Now, I needed them.