I wish I'd taken a picture of it.
I've thought of the crate a dozen times since I saw it in the bed of that truck. I remember its bulk; four by four by four it was. Homemade, I thought, flimsy, something someone threw together with plywood and nails.
No indication as to what was inside it, no markings, save bold, black and brushed-on letters facing the tailgate: DOOR.
It intrigued me. Still does. My mind keeps wandering back to that sight, conjuring explanation.
If I had a picture, I'd show you, and ask what would you imagine's inside the crate?
What's inside the crate? Hmmm... I love those kind of what if games.... a rare tree. The kind that grows fish instead of leaves! (you didn't say it had to be possible!)
ReplyDeleteWell used fishing tackle, a few duck decoys, a ratty cast net, and scattered spent shotgun shells. When opened, it smells like a mixture of gun powder and moth balls. Tucked into the corner, there's a tattered notebook detailing the depth of the river, the weather and the spoils of each day's hunt.
ReplyDeleteA tunnel to a land where truth is mixed with lies. Oh wait, that's here.
ReplyDeleteA tunnel to a land where imagination reigns.
My brain is soggy cereal this morning.
~ Wendy
4x4x4 DOOR I don't think my brain is working that well this morning.
ReplyDeleteI love thinking about things like that! Makes me wonder too. Maybe a door to an old cabinet someone is trying to fix up.
ReplyDeleteOh fun! Inside the crate...stacks of journals, pictures, memorabilia from my MC's mother. Every question answered in tattered pages, and fading images.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how things stick in your mind like that and leave you wondering!
ReplyDeleteDo you ever see things converging before your eyes? Frig. I just wrote of a door, was moved to, needed to. And then here. Door. And too, I wonder at the use of the word door when you have us wondering about a crate and its contents. How does the door apply? (I'm a little freaked out this morning.)
ReplyDeletexo
erin
Hmm...I'm with Wendy! That's exactly what I was thinking!
ReplyDeleteHmm, I'd guess an animal of some kind, (because what else would need a door?)
ReplyDeleteGreat puzzle, very intriguing. I can't get past the image of a tall DOOR... perhaps it's an acronym...
ReplyDeleteOh!! You didn't tell us what YOU thought was inside! Now you must tell us! I'm curious to know how YOUR imagination works! ;-)
ReplyDeleteLOL, you're right, Jody! I like hearing what you all think.
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking of a live animal, and it had to have been wild, untamed. Like the Tasmanian Devil. No air holes meant low oxygen and easier sedation. DOOR was marked clearly, so whomever was responsible for getting the monster out had as few surprises as possible.
Glad it wasn't my crate.
Ninjas.
ReplyDeleteAdam
I have to comment a second time because I thought DOOR was someone's last name.
ReplyDeleteI love the 'mystery box' concept. I think I posted a link to JJ Abrams giving a speech on TED Talks about keeping the box a mystery. Its the way I love to write. I want the reader to keep guessing until the end. Like opening a Christmas gift - NOT knowing what it is can be more fun than the big reveal.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go with stolen cigarettes being pushed by the mob.
ReplyDeleteInside the crate? A baby grand piano, of course. And invaluable, undiscovered etudes, written just for you!!!
ReplyDeletePatti
www.pattilacy.com/blog
Happy weekend, Janna!!@
I love playing those kind of games. It's fun to speculate.
ReplyDeleteYour words paint a perfect picture. I think it's a home for champion chickens. And I'd love to read the story you could write that includes the crate. :-)
ReplyDeleteAn antique cabinet, scarred but softened with loving use. Ready to find a new home where its owners will fill it with sparkling new surprises.
ReplyDeleteIt never ceases to amaze me what things stick in my mind like glue. Sometimes the strangest things will not take flight and disappear into infinity.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
You see how images inspire blog posts? Give me an image, and there's something to explore, question, investigate, admire, study. It's a fun form of writing, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteI am constantly seeing things on the back of trucks and wondering what they are! If I could only figure out how to take a photo while driving and not kill myslef!
ReplyDeleteCashmere socks, a box of chocolates, books and tons of them, an Italian leather journal.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have a fascination with doors, and what's hidden behind the closed ones.
Wow, that is completely intriguing. Sounds like a good Fantasy to me! A door in a crate. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking...a child found the old crate and made it a play place of imagination and painted DOOR on the front. At least that's something I would have done as a child...LOL
ReplyDeleteMaybe it stands for Don't Open Or Regret. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun image to play with!
Leftover foods from restaurants to feed his animals.? :P
ReplyDeleteHow interesting... I probably shouldn't consider this right after watching CSI... It is making me think like a horror writer.
ReplyDeleteDOOR is an acronym. It means Don't Open On Rollerskates.
ReplyDelete(I love posts like this!)
Dirty old oil rags
ReplyDeleteHmmm... a door on the end of a crate. No air holes suggests nothing alive. Maybe a small ATV? Someone is bringing a brand new one home. Maybe the crate was sturdier than you thought and was lowered by crane onto the truck deck with the door end marked so it could be positioned to ensure it could be opened and the vehicle pushed out and driven via ramps off the end of the truck. Wouldn't we all like to know for sure??? Janna, you may have to go back and inquire.
ReplyDeleteOhhh -- a boy - a strange little boy....and I can see him - wide dark eyes, dirty face - dirty everywhere - his fingernails have dirt in them from trying to hold on as he was dragged from the woods....those dark eyes are shining - if you'd have looked just a bit closer, you'd have seen him, looking out - but this is no ordinary boy, no....and they'll be sorry they put him in that crate.
ReplyDeleteChocolate. And some broken tea cups.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...a pharaoh's unearthed treasure, but is that the "door" we want to open? Watch out for those booby traps!!
ReplyDelete