Rachel opened up the package and pulled out a gray cube the size of her hand. It was ornately designed, with blue runes sketched over every side.
When she moved it in her hand, Rachel noticed one of the sides had rotated. To her amusement, Rachel realized that this is a puzzle box.
"I don't think this person knows me very well" Rachel thought to herself. As she fiddled with the thing, she noticed a slip of paper inside the box and pulled it out. She stared at the message for two minutes, trying to make any sense of it.
"OLD DESIRES BRING NEW FLESH"
Rachel put the note and puzzle aside, and started to cook breakfast. Her mind could only barely focus on the pancake batter in front of her; "what kind of fucking creep would send me that?"
Eventually, Rachel called her mom downstairs for breakfast. The two sat down and ate peacefully until her mother let her curiosity get the better of her.
"Sweetheart, what is that?"
"It's....a dumb prank. I don't have a return address, but I'll get rid of it somehow."
"Well, I think it looks nice."
Rachel picked up the box and headed up to her room. She kept wrestling with the phrase in her mind. It was so odd and pervish, but what did it have to do with the puzzle?
She stared at the box for what seemed like an hour before she decided she had to solve it. No matter the intent, the box was beautifully designed.
.........…
Rachel fidgeted with the box. She let the hours pass by as she got more and more involved. Her concentration was only snapped when she head her mother calling from downstairs.
"RACHEL, DINNER!"
She yelled down that she would need five more minutes. After another minute or two, Rachel finished the puzzle. She set it down and was about to go downstairs when she noticed the blue carvings on the box start to glow.
"What the fuck????"
Rachel stared at the box and decided to pick it up. For reasons unbeknowsnt to her, she decided to click the blue emblem in the center of the box.
Suddenly, she felt a jolt of electricity zap into her. "Fuck" she remarked. Rachel was only distracted for a moment when she saw the box open. Pink mists started to seep out of every crevace. It gathered together and went straight towards Rachel ---
"RACHEL, FIVE MINUTES IS UP. COME DOWN FOR DINNER NOW!"
Rachel woke up and felt confused. She looked at the box, which was no longer glowing. When she picked it up and tried to click the emblem, nothing happened. She looked in the mirror and didn't notice anything different about her appearance.
She was so lost in the mirror that it took her a moment to realize that things were VERY different. Rachel noticed that everything around her was drapped in a faint, pink glow. Oddly enough, the image in the mirror was in regular color.
"Where...where am I?" Rachel remarked to herself.
"Oh, you have no idea."
Rachel turned around and saw...
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