Singles: The Box (Patreon)

Hello, and welcome back to 'Singles,' a series of very short stories. 

It’s a rather nice looking wooden box, is it not? An ornate design and fine craftsmanship. An eye-catching piece that, I suspect, will make anyone who sees it a little curious.

Let’s put a few things into this box.

First, a photo of you, completely nude. You have nothing to hide, after all, and I think it’s important that we capture this moment. You remember the one, yes? After we had removed all of that unsightly body hair. As smooth and clean as the day you were born. And, really, how much have you actually changed since then?

Case in point, let’s see this next photo of you. Ah yes, there you are, crawling around in just your diaper and a bonnet. If I’m being honest, you pulled off the bonnet look quite well. I thought it’d look silly and...well, it does. But it's the perfect kind of silly for you.

Next, I’d like to add one of your diapers to the box. A clean one, don’t worry - I don’t want to soil this precious box with one of your dirty diapers. But I think it’s important, narratively, to not just show static images of your experiences, but to also have tangible objects here too. Yours isn’t just a story that you look at in pictures - it's one that can be felt and touched, if one dares.

For the same reason, I’m including one of your pacifiers. Oh, and a photo of you with the same pacifier in your mouth. Adorable, yes? One of my favorite photos of you.

Ah, and this photo… Hmm, you’re not going to like this one. But, seeing as how it's my project and not yours, I suppose it doesn’t matter. Alas, here you are, lying on your back on the bed, and your dirty diaper is about to get changed. Curious to know why you can tell that it's dirty? Well, see, it’s opened up and everything is on display. There’s your little private bits...they’re not a pretty sight, I’ll give you that. There’s the enormous load you packed into that diaper. Honestly, are you not glad, too, that these pictures don’t convey scent?

Anyways, I think that’s enough for now. I’m sure I’ll see fit to add new things in the future, but I’ll be sure to show you first. Not that you can veto them, but I do want to make sure you’re aware of what's in the box at all times.

And so here’s the fun part. We’re going to take this box and we’re going to place it on the coffee table like so. And we’re just going to leave it there. That’s it.

You know how things are here. We have friends over often, yes? Plenty of parties. I’m not going to lock this box. I’m not going to hide the box when company is over. I’m not going to dissuade anyone from opening this box. If someone is curious, or nosey, then they can simply open the box and see everything within it for themselves.

What do you think? Do you believe that people are inherently respectful of spaces like this? Will our guests leave the box closed? I’m sure you’d like to hope so. For as long as that box remains closed, your secrets are safe and nobody has any clue that you’re just a giant pants-filling toddler.

But, suppose someone opened the box? Just one person, I suppose that’d be all it took. They’d know everything about you. And there’d be no denying it's you - there’s literally a photo of your face with a pacifier sticking out of it. There’s your face in the photo of your completely destroyed diaper.

I’m curious how you’ll feel as we all sit around talking and drinking and having a good time, all while knowing that there’s things in this box that could absolutely ruin you - and they’re accessible to anyone at any time. One moment you could be laughing along with the jokes being told in this room, and the next moment you could be the joke.

How long do you think it will go unopened?

I suppose we’re about to find out, as our dinner guests are set to arrive in about 30 minutes.