The Little Notch

Ages 12-15

The plain box has a notch inside its sliding lid.

Esther pushes the lid with her thumb. It stops just before sliding out. She tips the box, and the lid stays in its grooves.

She tries it again.

Beside it stands the box she has decorated with a little garden. Paper flowers rise around a painted path. Its lid lifts off in one piece.

She has finished both boxes during drawing time at Bais Yaakov. Now she carries them to Raizy's desk.

"Choose whichever you want."

Raizy puts down her pencil.

"Really?"

Esther nods. She turns the garden box so the path faces Raizy. One flower has a folded center no bigger than a pencil point.

Raizy looks at the flowers. Then she picks up the plain box.

"This one. I can put my little erasers inside."

Esther keeps her hand beside the garden.

"The flowers took a long time."

"They're very small."

"And the path goes all the way around."

Raizy turns the garden box once, then puts it down.

"I like the sliding lid."

So does Esther.

Yesterday, she tried the plain box with the little shells from her shelf. The long white one fitted diagonally. With the lid shut, nothing fell out when she turned the box upside down.

The shells are waiting on a folded cloth at home.

"Are you sure?" Esther asks.

"Yes."

Raizy sets the plain box near her pencil case.

Esther reaches for the plain box.

Raizy's hand stops beside it.

Esther lifts the lid, looks at the notch, and slides it back into the grooves. Her thumb brings it to the little stopping point.

Then she puts the box in front of Raizy.

"There."

Raizy slips three erasers inside. One is round, one square, and one worn down to a thin white edge. She closes the lid and puts the box in her bag.

Esther takes the garden box back to her desk.

At home, she lifts the folded cloth from her shelf.

The long white shell fits in the garden box too. She lays it diagonally and sets the smaller shells around it.

When she puts on the lid, a paper leaf catches beneath her finger. She straightens it carefully.

She cannot turn this box upside down. The lid would fall off.

Esther carries it flat to the shelf and sets it down beside the empty cloth.

The folded flower center faces out.