25 Comments
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Zivah Avraham's avatar

I would have loved a housemate like this a few years ago. Fill the room, rent half covered, go for your sentient 1s and 0s life!

Loved this, it felt so unsettlingly normal!

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

My partner makes me breakfast on most mornings, and I still want to live with boxes.

Thank you! 🖤

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Posy Churchgate's avatar

This is very clever- I know people who would love such a house mate also!

I like a bit of conversation- but 1 way works for me, so I have a dog!

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Nancy Santos's avatar

““They’re so quiet, they might as well be inanimate. I’m in heaven.”

That’s the best kind of housemate, unless they’re plotting when to feed the people locked in the basement without you noticing. But boxes just storing pretty little heads like in Seven, perfectly harmless. 🖤

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

I’m hoping for the best! 😆

Thank you! I wish I could live with boxes.

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Steffany Ritchie's avatar

Sounds like a perfect setup, except for the burning "what's in the BOX?!" dilemma! 🫠

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

But it’s so quiet….😁

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Jill Eng's avatar

Cool. I must admit after I read it once I looked through the comments and someone I can't remember asked if the boxes where the housemate. I mean I sort of caught that but you mentioned person in here at some point so I thought maybe there was a person but I understood it was weird fiction stuff! In any case, for me what it evoked were 2 awful housemates I had (2 different situations) in 2022 and 2024. In fact on Medium I used to write about them but I think that was before you knew me! I read this twice and it was so fun as is all of your stuff. Just love the tone and creativity. And yeah the idea that the boxes were the housemate is hilariously wild!

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

Sorry you had those experiences. This story was supposed to be scarier but it turned out 'comfort dystopia' and I definitely want to live with boxes.

Thank you so much!!

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Jill Eng's avatar

Comfort dystopia! Now I want to live with boxes too!

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E.R. Davis's avatar

I want to know what is in the boxes! You are the world's best-worst tease!!

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

So in Robert's series (which was my inspiration), the box is sentient. In my head, I imagined them (a hoard of boxes) renting a room to be stored safely because they've run out of space wherever they were originally, and this is the most optimal solution. But I don't know what's inside them either.

Thank you! 🖤

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E.R. Davis's avatar

It's just like the briefcase in pulp fiction!

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Scarlet Ibis James's avatar

wow. move process is complete.

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

Thank you!

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Nevena Pascaleva's avatar

Were the boxes the roommate?🙂

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

Yes. They wanted space to rent, like a warehouse perhaps.

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Robert Gowty's avatar

That was a complete surprise! This feels like a back story of some sort, the point where a box starts encroaching on your personal space. Thanks for the shout out, digging out the picture of the snake is on my to do list today.

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

Definitely could be a back story. One of many...

Yay! Can't wait to read the series here.

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Veronica Wayne's avatar

“A mega shoutout to Robert Gowty for making me dream of boxes (and Chloe). His incredibly surreal series about a sentient box is coming to Substack soon (with a fresh start).” - this was a wonderful extension of that. Well done and I can’t wait to read Robert’s fresh start to the series. I wonder if Chloe will remain a staple in the cast of characters.

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

It's in the same universe, I think. I saw it as fan fic. 😆

I think she will. Or I hope.

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May More's avatar

I had a friend who never unpacked. Boxes everywhere. Then 5 years later he moved out. No packing lol. Glad Robert is bringing his boxes here. I missed the start of his so that works well 4 me. Rather read it here 😶‍🌫️.

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

Haha, you're friend is a genius.

I can't wait. It's a science fiction moment - we're going back to the start. 📦

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Jenny Blue's avatar

I’m all the way into it this. You’re very good 🖤

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Debdutta Pal's avatar

Thank you!

This was supposed to be a thriller but by the end I wanted to move in with boxes. 😁

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