A Box of Nothing Read Online Free Page A

felt like crying for the brave leg that had been shot to bits instead of him.
    When the slit closed and the light came on, he realized something was wrong with the Burra. It was jerking around and making an extraordinary noise, like a mechanical dog trying to bark.
    â€œAre you all right?” asked James. “I mean it was awful about your leg.”
    â€œWe thought it was funny,” said the Burra. “Correct us if we are wrong. We have only recently begun to see jokes.”
    James realized that the noise must be the Burra’s idea of laughing.
    â€œIt was funny about the officer getting so mad,” he said. “But it was sad about your leg.”
    â€œWe have got plenty more,” said the Burra.
    â€œBut didn’t it hurt?”
    â€œSawdust does not feel pain.”
    â€œOh. Then it might have been funny. I suppose. The gull darting in like that too.”
    â€œGood. Now help us across, will you?”
    The Burra’s furry arm clamped around James’s shoulders. With a clump and a clump and a clump, hopping on its wooden leg and resting its weight on James, it crossed to an old tin trunk. On the top, in sloping white letters, was written “General Omar B. Trout, U.S. Residency, Foochow.” Without the Burra telling it, the trunk opened its lid, like a clam in an underwater film. Inside was a mess of coloured legs and arms and heads, which had all once been parts of dolls and cuddly toys. Nine legs wriggled free and lined up in front of the trunk. With James’s help the Burra hopped along the line, patting each leg in turn with its green Kermit hand. Third in line was the pair to the one the Burra was already wearing, but it hopped straight past it.
    â€œExcuse me for asking,” said James. “Why don’t you have that one? I mean, it matches.”
    The Burra paused even longer than usual.
    â€œNot fair to the rest of us,” it said. “Got to keep a balance, especially when it comes to human members. They can be very opinionated, if you don’t mind our saying so.”
    In the end it chose a blue felt leg, which might have come off something like a lion. It fitted the leg under its shirt and stood swaying from side to side, adjusting to the new feel.
    â€œNow,” it said, “we suppose you would like something to eat.”
    â€œYes, please,” said James.
    He was extremely hungry, in spite of having had breakfast not all that long ago. But it was night time now, and he’d missed his dinner and missed his snack, and he really felt like that. The Burra led the way over to the table, but just as he got there James was struck by an awkward question. What would a creature like the Burra think of as food? Sawdust? Rags?
    â€œIf you’ve got anything,” he said.
    â€œIf we have got anything!” said the Burra. “We have got everything! People throw everything away, so we have got everything!”

Chapter 5: The Box Effect
    The Burra went into a sort of trance. Its large eye seemed to go dull, but that might have been the loop of light dimming. From the other end of the cavern James heard a rumble, which came nearer and nearer until an old freezer and a gas cooker trundled up to the table. The freezer opened its lid for James to look inside. It was packed with food, icy cold. He chose hamburgers, chips , and strawberry-ripple ice cream for dessert. The cooker switched on two burners, two pans flipped into place, and the chips and burgers unwrapped themselves and hopped into the pans, turning over when they were brown on one side. A chair walked up. One of its legs didn’t belong so it walked with a limp, but it was perfectly steady when James sat on it. The food hopped onto the plates when it was cooked, and the plates skimmed themselves onto the table. The freezer and cooker trundled away, and at the same time the light brightened and the Burra seemed to wake up.
    James stared at the good food. His mouth was