Dave's Story

Dave got up from his desk and cracked his back. "What a day." He mumbled to himself as he walked out of his home office and into the living room of his two bedroom condo. Dave's condo was pretty typical for a single guy in his mid-30s working a decent job. He had a nice TV, a comfy couch, and a few other luxuries that he had spent his disposable income on. "Hmm.... I'm thinking tonight is a stout night." Dave said to himself as he opened the door on his fridge that sat in the corner of his living room. Pulling out a stout from a regional brewery, Dave popped the cap off with a bottle opener and took a drink.

The dark smoky beer really hit the spot after a long frustrating day of work. About a year earlier the company Dave works for offered him the opportunity to begin working fully remote. Being sick of the office and his commute Dave took the company up on their offer and subsequently moved a couple hours away to a smaller town with a much lower cost of living. Having a bit more disposable income was nice, but Dave was beginning to regret his decision to move to the small sleepy town. While the town was a great place to settle down and start a family, there wasn't much to do for a single guy in his 30s. Dave let out a sigh and sat his beer on the coffee table. "I guess I should check the mail." He mumbled to himself as he slipped on some sandals to go out and get the mail.

On Dave's short walk from his condo to the shared mailbox Dave waved at his elderly neighbor Randy, who was on his afternoon stroll around the complex. "Keep up the good work!" Dave yelled over to Randy. Dave chuckled to himself and smiled. For what it was worth, he actually enjoyed all of the elderly people that lived at this complex. They were all so friendly to Dave, and they were always more than willing to bullshit with Dave. On more than one occasion Dave had sat out in the courtyard of the complex and had a few beers as one of his elderly neighbors told stories of their youth.

Dave unlocked his mail box and peered inside. He was greeted by the familiar sight of another key sitting in the small mail slot. "Huh I didn't think I had any packages arriving today." Dave thought as he grabbed the key and used it to open the package door on the mail box. Inside sat a plain brown box with a small shipping label on it. Dave pulled the medium sized box out of the mailbox and gave it a slight shake. The box didn't make a sound, but it did feel like it had some mass. "Weird... I wonder what it is?" Dave thought sliding it under his arm as he closed the mail box and headed back into his condo.