#boxking

“When I was a child, I would hide. In spaces you could crawl inside. To block away all the noise. And have some fun with my toys. Away from mommy’s screams that blow. Away from all the to and fro. When I was a child I would hide. In spaces I liked to build outside.” 

The sound of Mommy’s voice calling my name “Leo!” got me out of bed. I look out the window and see that the sun is almost awake and the sky is speckled with clouds. I put on my favourite blue pants and run down the stairs to see her. Mommy is in the kitchen making bird nest toast and bacon for me and my big sisters. 

When I see her, I give her a big squeeze and she gives me a kiss on the head. Then, Mommy pulls me away and crouches down so her eyes are looking right at mine.

“I have a surprise for you, sweetie.”

“Oh yeah! What is it?”

“Well, I got some packages this morning and they all came in great big boxes.”

I feel a smile on my face. I love when mommy get packages because they always come in cardboard boxes. I love boxes because it means I get to go on an adventure today. I give mommy one more squeeze and scream “THANK YOU” as I run away into the office where I find the boxes. There are twelve different boxes and they are all different shapes. Some are squares, some are rectangles and some are long triangles. 

I bring all the boxes into the back yard outside along with all my toy figures, stuffed animals, and blankets. I look to see everything I have and wonder, what I will do with them today?

Maybe, I could build a rescue fort in the jungle to save and healing hurt animals. Or, I could build a spaceship, flying to new planets, looking for aliens and dodging meteor showers. 

No wait, I got it. I will build a castle, a box castle, the largest box castle in the world, and I will be the one true king, The Box King.

I begin to stack the boxes so that there are high walls on all four sides. I grab my stuffed animals and line them up outside the castle. I put the smallest blanket around my neck as a cape, and I put the paper crown I got in last years Christmas cracker on my head. I run back outside and get in my castle to start my ruling when I hear mommy’s voice calling my name.

“Leo! Time for breakfast.”

“What? But I haven’t even started playing yet.”

“I am not going to call you again.”

I look at my castle and sadly go inside for breakfast anxiously waiting for when I can get back and start my adventure.