A Metal Box
In his story, Benjamin grew up in Igloolik, a small town in northern Canada. At twenty-five, his uncle Thomas pulled a metal box out of the back of the closet; inside was a thin silver chain, its shine already dulled with wear. "It was James's. It's yours now," he said, and nothing more. James was his father. Benjamin looked at it for a long minute without touching it, then put it on. He hasn't taken it off since, except when working with machinery. If anyone asks about it, he says it was a gift.







