The Misfortunes of Pandora’s Box
By: The Glenolden Gazette Staff
There was a day in my life when I was a normal kid. I don’t know if I should be happy those days
are gone, or upset that they are gone. If you’re wondering what I’m talking about exactly, well… it’s kind
of a long story. We seem to have time so, I guess I’ll tell you the story of how Greek Mythology changed
my life for the better.
~6 months earlier~
You know how there’s always that one kid that never listens? That talks back to teachers? The
kid who is disrespectful and falls asleep in class? Well, I was that kid. I knew every one of my classmates
was annoyed with me and my behavior, but I just couldn’t stop.
So, it was a February afternoon and my teacher, Ms. Riley, was talking about something or
another, I obviously wasn’t paying attention. I tried to actually pay attention. I really did, but a routine
is a routine. I was starting to drift off to sleep until Ms. Riley loudly announced that today’s story would
be about Greek Mythology. I perked up at those words. For some reason, I’ve always loved Greek
Mythology related things.
As I was thinking over those unusual thoughts for me, Ms. Riley clapped her hands in my face
and called out, “Carter! Pay attention or at least try!” Me being me, I just nodded my head and rolled my
eyes at her. She shot me a stern look and stalked off to her stool at the front of the room.
I brushed some of my light brown hair out of my face in annoyance and sat straight in my seat.
As I leaned my head against the palm of my left hand, Ms. Riley tucked some of her red hair behind her
ear and cleared her throat. She picked up a book from her desk and opened up to the first page,
“Pandora’s Box and the Aftermath.” Hmmmm, it sounded semi-interesting. Maybe I’ll actually pay
attention today, but probably not. I chuckled at that thought and ignored my classmates’ piercing stares.
“One day Pandora’s father…” I listened to Ms. Riley reading and I slowly drifted off into a deep
sleep. Maybe I shouldn’t stay up so late anymore.
Before I knew it, I was talking to Pandora. I introduced myself and she said it was nice to meet
me. She was telling me the story of how she received this mysterious box from her father. She was told
not to touch or open it or else bad things would happen.
“My father has trusted me to keep the box safe and never open it,” she said. Pandora
continued, “Carter, I’m so sorry but I have to leave now. You should go home where you’ll be safe.”
She disappeared and I knew I should go home but I had this feeling about the box. Something
about the small, elaborate box attracted me. I became interested as to what Pandora was hiding in it. I
began to wonder why she was so secretive and quickly left with the box. With curiosity taking over me, I
decided to try and find her. Luckily, she hadn’t ran off too far. I watched as she swiftly turned a corner
of the street to a small pathway. I hurried to catch up to her. I stayed back slightly, just out of view.
Scanning my surroundings, I saw I was in a village. Pandora ran up to a small house and stepped
inside. I quietly rushed up to the nearest window of the house to peek in. Watching Pandora, I saw her
lock the small box into a trunk, fumbling with her hands. Suddenly, she shot up and looked around the
house, making sure she was alone. She knelt down to the trunk and opened it, slowly grabbing for the
box. She turned the box all around as if trying to figure out what was hidden inside it. It looked like I
wasn’t the only one curious to open it.
“Pandora,” I yelled. She jerked her head towards me with a startled look on her face.
“Carter! I thought I told you to go home?” she replied while walking towards the window.
“The box…” I said.
“What about it?” she asked.
“What’s in it?” I asked.
“Come in,” she replied approaching the door.
As I walked through her beautiful house, I couldn’t help but notice a small statue of a stone bug.
“What’s up with the bug?” I asked.
“Are you always like this? Besides, I’m not sure. It means the world to my dad. He said it
represents hope or something like that,” she replied.
I’m taking that as an insult. I scanned the room searching for the box.
“The box is in the other room,” Pandora added.
I took a glance at the box. It was mesmerizing. The gold box with pictures of nature engraved in
the sides lured me right beside it.
“Can we open it?” I asked.
“Of course not!” she yelled.
“Well, when can we?” I asked.
“Never,” she replied.
I guess Pandora saw me eyeing the key across the room.
“No,” she said sternly.
“Are you telling me you aren’t tempted, even the slightest bit, to open up that box?” I asked.
“I am,” Pandora replied walking towards the key. She placed the key in my hand and closed it
up.
“Whatever you do, don’t let me, or anyone else, have this key in their possession,” she replied.
“Why are you giving this to me?” I curiously asked.
“I cannot open this box, under any circumstances,” she replied, “take this and leave.”
“Okay,” I answered, ending the conversation.
I left her house and walked into another small house to rest. I fell asleep with the key clenched
in my hand. During a deep sleep, I was awakened by a disturbance. I looked up and to my surprise, the
key was gone! I rushed to the window and spotted a girl darting from the house. She looked familiar,
and then I noticed, it was Pandora. She had taken the key away from me. I thought, why? She told me
that we aren’t to open the box under any circumstances. I better go after her I thought, you know, to
see why we weren’t supposed to open the box.
I quickly got my shoes on which were still wet from the rain earlier. Then I went off to go see
Pandora. I went out of my door and to my surprise the heat pushed me back, I didn’t remember it being
this hot. It felt like I was on fire. Then I quickly scurried over to Pandora’s house and I peered through
the window and to my surprise, I saw her open the box the slightest bit, a tiny crack. Suddenly, all the
bad things in modern time flew, crawled, and hopped out of the box, all at once. Things like lies and
fibs, to things like being old and gossip and millions of other things came out of the tiny crack. I couldn’t
believe all of that was in the tiny box! I started to run, trying to find a way out. I was afraid that they
would take over me and control me! I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, but as far as the eye could
see it was not the calm village, it was before. Now people were being taken over by these scary things. I
could hear one of the bad things come really close to me. I ran in the closest house, locked and
barricaded the doors.
I turned around to see what the buzzing sound was, and to my surprise, it was a disease! I could
tell because it was coughing, sneezing, and limping around with its low-drooping wings. I slowly turned
and backed towards the door with the sad-looking creature in the middle of the floor. Just as I was
turning the door knob, the creature turned and flew into me, and when I looked around, the creature
was gone! Strangely, I was feeling ill, when I was fine not even a minute ago. What had happened? A
horrible thought then struck me, what if the creature took over me and was giving me all the diseases
and sickness it was carrying.
I was going to die! I started feeling light headed, though I kept running, slower and slower.
Suddenly, I toppled over. I had tripped over my own feet. The world was spinning and tears flooded my
eyes as I thought it was my last couple of minutes of my life.
Then, a black figure started running towards me! I scooted back as I blinked the tears from my
eyes before I realized it was Pandora! She held the lid of the box, wide open, and the body of the box
was knocking against her legs as she walked.
“Carter? What have I done?” she said as she plopped down next to me. She continued, “You
know, it’s all your fault.”
I looked away a little hurt that she blamed it on me, but I found myself looking back at her.
“Well, maybe I made you a little curious, but you were the one who opened it,” I replied.
“Well, I guess that’s true, but whoever’s fault it is, we have to stop it,” Pandora said.
“Yeah, and I think I have a plan,” I replied. I have a feeling it could work too.
~The Plan~
“Ready?” I asked.
“Ready. Gosh, Carter, I sure hope this works,” whispered Pandora.
“Me too. Now move out. We don’t have much time,” I said assertively.
I gripped the box firmly in my hands, and hid behind a house, or at least what was left of it. I
thought to myself, all of the bad things that came from the box really did a lot of damage to the village.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of my cue. Soon enough, I saw Pandora luring all of the bad
things from the box to the middle of the village. Here we go, I thought. I opened the now empty box
and I ran out into the village towards Pandora. Pandora then got behind all of the bad things from the
box and started pushing them towards me. I held the box wide open in front of me and ran towards the
bad things. Then there was a loud noise, then silence. It was almost as if the box was a vacuum and as
soon as the bad things touched the box, they got pulled into it! Within seconds, they were gone.
Breathing heavily, I laid down in exhaustion. I look at Pandora, she smiled and I smiled back. It
was finally over.
“But not so fast,” Pandora smiled and continued, “you’re not getting off that easy.”
Then I smiled, but I was kind of worried and replied, “Um… why?”
“Meet me at my house tomorrow afternoon,” Pandora replied.
So, right after I was finished eating breakfast the next day, I hurried off to meet Pandora, but it
wasn’t just her, someone else was there too. It was Pandora’s father! Pandora looked a little worried
looking, and her father was standing there holding the box. Her father did not look that happy. The
room was very silent, even awkward, so Pandora started talking.
Pandora said, “Dad, this is Carter. Carter, this is my father.”
“It’s nice to meet you!” I replied trying to stay out of trouble as much as I can.
So, Pandora’s father started talking. This is when I got scared.
He said, “Pandora, I told you not to open the box.”
Pandora replied by saying, “I know dad, but I was curious and it didn’t help with Carter to urging
me to open it.” She shot me a sharp look and continued, “I’m so sorry, Dad.”
Her father said, “I know Pandora. I’m still very disappointed in you. I told you not to open the
box and you did.”
“But it wasn’t my fault, Dad,” Pandora was on the verge of tears.
“I’m not finished, Pandora. Even though you opened the box, I am proud of you. You put
everything back in the box.” He was smiling at his daughter.
Just then I chimed in by saying, “I helped her do it,” but that was not a good idea.
Her father then turned to me and said, “Cater, you tempted my daughter to open the box.
Though you helped, I think it’s time for you to go home and never return.”
For some reason, those words hurt my feelings. I have no clue why but they did.
I replied, “But Pandora and I are friends. Right, Pandora?”
I turned to face her and she said, “I don’t know, Carter. We’ve only just met and I don’t really
know you and it is kind of your fault about the box.”
I was going to reply, but something weird happened. Pandora started to speak again but it
wasn’t her voice. It was Ms. Riley. She was standing in front of my desk holding an old box with
engravings of nature on the sides.
She said in a harsh tone, “Carter, wake up! It’s time to go home. Carter!”
Just then, I woke up in a big pile of drool on my desk.
“What happened, Pandora?” I yawned.
Ms. Riley replied, “No, my name is Ms. Riley. I’m your teacher, Carter, and you fell asleep on
your desk over a half an hour ago. Class is over and you have to go home.”
“But Pandora was here. Where is she?” I replied.
Ms. Riley looked confused, then said, “Pandora? As in, from the book I read?”
I had to think at first but, then said, “Yeah, I guess so. Why?”
As she placed the box behind her back, she said, “No, reason. You should go home, your mom
will worry.”
Without thinking, I said, “Yeah, your right.”
Then, I walked out of the classroom to go straight home. At first, I was disappointed that I
would not get to see Pandora but something felt weird about Ms. Riley. I couldn’t’ put my finger on it. I
guess it was just that I’m still tired from sleeping during class. My mind kept coming back to Ms. Riley
standing in front of me. Why?
Wait, what was in her hand? No, it can’t be!