First LInes...

"Josianne's gift is a simple square box, its sides about as long as her forearm. It is about as deep as her hand is wide. The white plastic lid has a quaint red crosshatch pattern on it, like the sort you might see on a tablecloth is a small family-owned restaurant. The box in nothing extraordinary, though its contents have been known to induce fevers. At least, that is one of the effects it had on Josianne when it first came to her-perhaps she decided to pass on her gift as much from a need to get it away from herself as to share it with another. At least, the box let her think she decided." ...13 rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro coming February 2011