The Wooden Box

The Wooden Box
by Kaylah Sharpe

The rusty lock clicks as I turn the old key,
and I slowly open the wooden box cautiously.
It’s dark in the attic; there’s only one dim light.
It casts shadows on the walls so late at night.
I examine a fancy carving on the inside of the box
that says “Property of Stanley Fox”.
I question who this Stanley could be,
was he someone I knew possibly?
I glance in the box and notice many objects, musty, and old.
Reaching in, I grab something that smells like mold.
It was a newspaper clipping, a picture of a young man.
It makes me think, could this be Stan?
The bold print reads, “Detective Solves Mystery Just in Time,
Unveiling the Evidence of a Terrible Crime.”
My interest in this Stanley was beginning to grow,
there was so much more for me to know.
Underneath the paper there is a nice pen and a big stack of notes
They are crumbled and faded and contained many quotes.
These notes must have been from all the crimes Stanley solved,
and the they told me he was very busy and involved.
I rummaged in the box some more
and found a metal container with a thin, little, door.
8 audiotapes are packed in a row.
The covers were cracked and the labels yellow.
They were all recordings of interviews
that probably provided lots of clues.
One lady talked about 1963
and the death of President Kennedy.
Another of a robbery.
These tapes told me that Stan was around in the 1960’s.
I also discovered a unique costume,
there is a mustache and bad smelling perfume.
A gray trench coat and a pair of shady sunglasses,
and a hat with a feather and fake eyelashes.
Finally, from the facts it was clear to see
that Stanley Fox wasn’t who he appeared to be.
He was actually my uncle, imagine that;
my clever, outrageous uncle Pat.
He must have always wanted me to find
the treasures he left behind.