With your fine tale you evoke from us both trepidation of and sympathy for the old man who is crying for the children. We're left with a mystery, is he forced to carry the box or saddened by the action of those who fell for the trap? Joelle had her chance to make it out of the story intact, falling prey to her curiosity and paying such a dear price.
Well done work with the details and build up for this fantastic story, Gwil!
~Bris