My Sister Won a Costume Contest With Her Baby
The Costume
At a Halloween block party, Nora dressed her toddler Jax as a fuzzy green monster inside a trash can.
A retired firefighter noticed something strange—a latch on the bin. “That’s a lock tab—from a containment barrel.
Military issue.” He tugged, but the lid wouldn’t budge.
Panic Sets In
Jax had been inside for ten minutes. Nora insisted it wasn’t locked.
“I didn’t even know it could lock…” EMTs pried it open. Jax was unconscious but breathing.
“He just passed out. Probably from low oxygen.”
A Disturbing Discovery
Nora claimed she bought the bin from a thrift store.
Days later, the Department of Defense confirmed it was a decommissioned hazardous-materials container.
On the receipt: “Return before the first frost. Please.”
Unanswered Questions
Nora found a recorder in the bin: “The lock resets itself. It knows how to hide.”
Later, a chilling text arrived: “Thank you for returning it.
Sleep well.” Months passed—until Jax unearthed the lid.
