Ordinary family
Matthew Emanuel has lived in his house in Todd Hill, Staten Island, with his wife, Maria, and their son for four years. Although they’ve had time to decorate the house to their liking, one part of the property remains untouched: the backyard. There, in plain sight, sat that rusty steel box. The couple never paid it any attention, and it wasn’t until later that they realized what it contained.
The rusty box
The small metal box was located by the fence in the garden behind the house. Covered in rust and dents, it stood intact; everyone thought it was an old electrical box that was no longer used. To make matters worse, the entire corner was overgrown with blackberries. Nature had “taken it back,” and instead of clearing it out, the owners had even piled up wood chips to cover it up. They would later regret that.
Miraculous storm
After months under the sawdust, a powerful winter storm hits the Emmanuel family’s yard and brings the box back to the surface. The snow weighs down the branches that are crushing their mailbox against the fence; deer traditionally run over them, nibbling on the remaining plants. By spring, the garden was in poor condition and the box could no longer be ignored.
Everything in sight
For four years the rusty box sat in the yard—clearly visible from both the large bay window in the living room and the front steps. In other words, the family glimpsed it almost daily, but no one did anything about it. It was “that thing you keep putting off.” Well, the secret was finally going to be out.
