He took a deep breath and stepped in, the pressures of the outside bearing down on him like fangs. Without hesitation, the door latched behind him with a click. Standing solemnly, he looked around. Pale glass stared at him from every direction, it's only offering being a small glimpse of the outside world if he gave all his attention to focus on it.


For an instant, there was relief. The pressures of were gone and all was quiet. Before the hour had passed however, his lips and fingertips were sore from gnawing on them. Suddenly that faint view of the world became clear. Brightness, laughter, and peace were all there, just pass the glass.


He shook his head and pushed on the door. It jiggled for a moment but did not give way. Frantically, he banged and kicked and slammed on the door with all his might. The decision weighed heavily on him and the pressure came back. Panic set in and he began to scream as steady streams of tears poured down his cheeks and onto the slick, marble floor beneath him. No one seemed to notice his struggles, everything outside going on as if he were silent and invisible to the world.


After a while, the tears had formed a puddle, up to his ankles. From his struggling, everything hurt. His hands, feet, knees, eyes, head and heart all throbbed with pain and regret. He had closed and locked the door of his own volition. The world outside remained calm. There were smiles on the faces of those he knew, and those he didn't. Were they in their own boxes too?


The water was up to his knees now. "Stop crying...", he thought. "Stop crying or it's just going to happen faster." Try as he might to quell the tears, they fell from his cheeks as quickly as ever, sealing his fate. He looked up into the air and took his last breath, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. He had brought this on himself.