Can I just hold the box a little longer? (As read by Vincent Price)


1
It's as if everyone was born with a small wooden box to wear above their chests. The box contains within it a tiny glass vial of glowing liquid. The liquid is literally a special fragment of the owner's soul. It's not the whole soul and it's merely an augmentation of the genuine article but it is nonetheless very special.

2
But after a great while it came out of fashion to wear boxes above one's chest as the box was considered somewhat private and times were growing more conservative. The custom became to wear the box under shirts, sweaters, and the like. Shortly thereafter, due to the discomfort of wearing boxes under one's shirts, there was a growing frustration with the intersection of politics and fashion. What to do?

3
One young man of both echelon and leisure discovered one could drink the liquid and it would remain within the drinker forever, the whole while emitting a healthy glow from the chest. The multitude gleefully consumed their liquids and cast away their boxes. They realized that the liquid piece of soul, when ingested, created an utter euphoria allowing for a more focussed and productive lifestyle.

4
And so the trend of drinking one's tiny drop of extra soul at a certain age even extended outward to the less inhabited regions. This is when the effects were felt. I reached inside my box to discover what I had for some time expected: there was no vial. The antique wooden box with dark purple felt lining and aging hinges contained nothing.

5
I'm not the only one who still wears a box. Some wear it as a tribute to the culture of days past. Some keep the boxes to sport during more formal affairs. But some, like me, keep it as proof. We were born too. Just like everyone else. We certainly have boxes and we can certainly wear them if we choose because we do possess them and so it is our choice. So while it may have fallen from fashion to wear boxes above one's chest I would like to keep mine please. I've become accustomed to its weight in my arms when I am sleeping. There's no greater reward waiting within it for me so if I could just be allowed to hold this empty container a bit longer please?