# Contents of The Mysterious Box by the Side of The Road® REVEALED!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 25, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750 "2002-05-25T02:43:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 16\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/1 "2002-05-25T02:43:50Z")

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So, I finally went and checked it out…

**The Mysterious Box by the Side of the Road®** contained…

AN OLD TELEPHONE BOOK!! :eek: I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic, but it at least explains why it didn’t move for a year.

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**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/2 "2002-05-25T03:27:48Z")

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…I’m disappointed and relieved all at the same time.

Was it at least an INTERESTING phone book? An evil phone book?

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**Author:** ![Dagny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9f8e36/32.png) [@Dagny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dagny)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/3 "2002-05-25T04:09:17Z")

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Hey, I was right! I thought it contianed either books or magazines.

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**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/4 "2002-05-25T04:09:30Z")

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Whoa, the poor visible :eek: guy looks so shocked… Hm, what can it be?

_Highlights the spoiler box_

Aaaaaah, I see. Was it moldy? Did it have nests of bugs in it? How about a bit more description, hm? 😉

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**Author:** ![Willow\_fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@Willow\_fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willow_fire)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/5 "2002-05-25T04:37:25Z")

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The mysterious box by the road was of the first post I read on Straight Dope Message board and have wondered ever since as to what may be inside…well…not to the point of sleepless nights… But I am glad to finally know!

I don’t know that I would be bold enough to go peek…the :eek: in the field of black in the OP was enough to spook me.

Thanks for the update!

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**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/6 "2002-05-25T04:53:55Z")

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You know, if this was an old “Twilight Zone” episode the phone book would be full of phone numbers that would connect you with dead people ihn hell, and in the chilling climax MSK would dial the number with her name on it and it’d always be busy.

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**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/7 "2002-05-25T04:55:11Z")

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You know, if this was an old “Twilight Zone” episode the phone book would be full of phone numbers that would connect you with dead people in hell, and in the chilling climax MSK would dial the number with her name on it and it’d always be busy.

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**Author:** ![Inky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7feea3/32.png) [@Inky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inky_1)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/8 "2002-05-25T05:00:41Z")

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You know, if this was an old “Twilight Zone” episode the phone book would be full of phone numbers that would connect you with dead people in hell, and in the chilling climax MSK would dial the number with her name on it and it’d always be busy.

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**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/9 "2002-05-25T06:13:12Z")

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Nah. If this were REALLY an old Twilight Zone episode, hell would consist of a bunch of hapless dopers forced to read the same post over and over and over and…

AAAACK!

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**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/10 "2002-05-25T11:58:14Z")

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Nah. If this were REALLY an old Twilight Zone episode, hell would consist of a bunch of hapless dopers forced to read the same post over and over and over and…

AAAACK

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**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/11 "2002-05-25T12:13:03Z")

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Nah. If this were REALLY an old Twilight Zone episode, hell would consist of a bunch of hapless dopers forced to read the same post over and over and over and…

AAAACK

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**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/12 "2002-05-25T13:12:44Z")

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Just a phone book? What’s the big deal?

\<\<\<A mysterious chainsmoking man in suit walks in from the middle ground between light and shadow and starts beating **lawoot** with a script of something called _Requiem for a Heavyweight_\>\>\>

\>\>\>WHACK!\<\<\<

\>\>\>SMACK\<\<\<

\>\>\>THUNK\<\<\<  
Nah. If this were REALLY an old Twilight Zone episode, hell would consist of a bunch of hapless dopers forced to read the same post over and over and over and…

AAAACK

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**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/13 "2002-05-25T13:54:40Z")

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If you like mysterious boxes and have a GPS device, you should check out [www.geocaching.com](http://www.geocaching.com)

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**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/14 "2002-05-25T15:31:19Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \*  
> \*\*…I’m disappointed and relieved all at the same time.
> 
> Was it at least an INTERESTING phone book? An evil phone book? \*\*

“Necronomicon Telephone Directory”… flips through the pages…

Adams, Cecil  
Army of Darkness  
Belzebubb  
Crowley, Alistair  
Cthulu…

groovy!

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**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/15 "2002-05-26T07:06:35Z")

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Thanks for the update, **MSK**. I must admit, I was sort of wondering.

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**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/contents-of-the-mysterious-box-by-the-side-of-the-road-revealed/110750/16 "2002-05-26T07:49:19Z")

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At last! Under my theory that _everything_ is significant in some way, this telephone book has been waiting and waiting for you–cherish it, study it, learn its secrets.

(BTW–was it a local or out-of-town telephone book?)