THE GIFT

It was a dull evening, the shimmer of the wrapper caught my bored eye. It lay untouched in the middle of the room.

It was probably where time began and space started, unmoved by the disarray of the world around. The dust settled down and yet there was an eerie silence around the aura of the box.

The paper gleamed provoking me to lift it and unravel its contents. The paper sat perfectly on the edge of the box, ribbon tied to perfection.

I tiptoed towards it with a sigh, anxious and excited at what it could contain. I lifted it gently, trying to gauge it by its weight.

It was deceptive, a thousand thoughts jostled through my bumfuzzled brain.

Rattling it would disturb it, possibly spill or damage what could be inside.

Fraught with stress, I tried to pull the ribbon and put an end to my diffidence.

I marshalled my thoughts to calm my frayed nerves, while a reflection dawned on me, Was it not pandoras curiosity that cursed us all to this existence,

Could curiosity kill the cat or add the feather of experience to the cap of life?

While it was tempting to open the box and find out what part of the jigsaw of life did the gift fit in, I let the feeling reside in my heart.

The feeling of the unknown, the mystery of what lies beyond. It is not until we open it is that we realize it was empty or was it a black hole?

Or the faith of believing that the thrill of ignorance reinforces our subsistence in this massive world.

That drop of demul will remain dark, will we ever want to dispel it?