I drop the package back into the bin and stand up. It sits there on top of the cards, watching me. I look at it for a moment, then sigh and pick it up, looking nervously left and right. I can't just leave it here. What if someone else finds it and can't resist their curiosity? What if they lack my self-control and caution?

I take it to the clerk and set it on the counter. He looks at it curiously for a moment, then rings me up. It costs one dollar.

I set it on the passenger seat of my car as I drive home. Then I take it up to my room and set it on my dresser. When I slip into bed that night, I leave a lamp on, and lay on my side, looking at the package. It ticks softly, like a wheezing animal, louder than my wall clock. The red tab gleams warmly in the lamplight.

end