My name is Diane Williams and I'm a human being of Earth in the year 2008. I'm 27 years old and I'm a widow. My life isn't much since my husband died. I've suffered more traumas than anyone I know but I know that I'm not alone in the universe. This world is full of loneliness and heart break. My life was mundane and empty, my life was….. Well it wasn't good quality since my husband died. You see, I did everything with Nate. We were best friends. We shared our lives to the point where we suddenly became the one person, life support for each other and the sad part is, I didn't realize it until he was gone. That's the day my heart stopped. The day UNIT knocked on my door with their uniforms, crisp and neatly pressed, their hats off and clasped firmly in their hands, a mark of respect. That's when I lost my life.
I went to work every day, making it through each day by working as many shifts as I could in the morgue, dissecting and researching. Anything to try and comfort the thought that at the end of the day I'd be going home to my empty and cold apartment. I walked to work some days. This day was in no way particularly different to the others. It was more cold than usual; the ground was wet and slightly icy. I usually go down the main street to work when it's a dull day because the street lamps would illuminate my way. I had a car but wasn't a great driver, I hated it in fact. It was Nate that got me to take my test and it was only by miracle I got my license. But today, though it was cold something compelled me to walk. I walked two thirds of the way on the main street but then something, I can't explain it, and something willed me to go towards the back way. It was isolated and some people told me it was dangerous but I couldn't help myself. It was like something that wasn't audible was calling out to me. It was calling my name. I don't know, maybe deep down I wanted it to be Nate. Some irrational thought had led me to believe that Nate would be waiting for me around the corner. But the road was empty and there wasn't even a car to be seen. I didn't really care what would happen to me at this stage. I just walked on wondering why I was so drawn to this street. As I turned off at the widened corner of the street there was a small green at the back of a block of student accommodation. There were one or two street lights just up ahead so I knew I was near the hospital. But then there was something that spun me around. It was like a force drawing me in, there was no one there. It wasn't a physical touched that turned me, it was odd. Then as I peered into the green area I noticed something glistening in the far corner of the tiny park. It could have been a piece of rubbish or some junk metal left in the icy grass and yet I seemed to have a compelling interest in it. I looked around to see if anyone had come down this road yet, I was still alone. Before I knew it my legs were walking towards the object. As I got closer I saw it. My word, it was magnificent. It was a cool blue-silver metal that seemed to subtly radiate a warm array of colours right before me. It made me feel warm and comfortable. It was like Nate was standing next to me again, I could smell him, I could feel his body heat. It was like being around the object had brought him back. I had to have it. The 3-D shaped hexagonal box was small enough to fit into my back pack. I didn't seem to question what it was or why it was there but I just had to have it with me. I carried it with me all day, not once did I feel sad or depressed. It was like having the effects of happy pills without having to take them.
I wanted to test it, I wanted to see its composition and open it up to see what it looked like internally. I refrained from hurting it. I don't know why I thought I could ever hurt this metal box. Being a coroner I cut up dead bodies all day, empty vessels, but I still couldn't bring myself to hurt this magnificent metal creature. It was like it rewarded me with happy thoughts every time I caressed it. It seemed to respond to affection. Oh how it made me feel alive again. That night I lay it in bed with me on Nate's side of the bed. I guess I must have thought that if I left it beside me all night then maybe, just maybe it could grant me a wish and I'd wake up to find Nate lying next me, smiling and laughing at my drooling face. But when I woke up he wasn't there and as upset as I thought I'd be I was more comforted than anything. I was beginning to forget the things I missed about Nate. At the time I didn't see it as a bad thing, I felt relieved because now I could finally carry on. However, as the days went by I began to lose joy and blissfulness too. My emotions began to form this unnatural equilibrium that I wasn't able to notice. I started becoming like a robot, but only when I had the box with me was it like this. I never once let the box out of my site. It was addictive, but my friends became deeply worried. I isolated myself and shut them out. And then… and then he came along…..