Liberal Forum

Michigan man searches for answers after dolls take over his mailbox: 'We've decided to live here'

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 656555002/

Don Powell opened his mailbox one day last August and found, along with the usual mix of bills and pizza coupons, two small dolls sitting on a miniature couch near a tiny table.

 The pair and their furniture came with a note: “We’ve decided to live here. Mary and Shelley.”

 Powell first thought the homely wooden figurines – a man and a woman – were put in his mailbox by mistake. He wondered if someone in the neighborhood was playing a joke.

 He and wife Nancy ordered a custom mailbox after moving into their home in Orchard Lake, Michigan, about five years ago.At 26 inches deep, the mailbox, while purposely not an exact replica, bears a striking resemblance to their home. The box features a spacious interior with an open floor plan and plenty of window to let in natural light. Solar powered ceiling lights illuminate the mailbox at night.  

That was just the beginning of the story. When Powell wasn’t looking, someone dropped off a dog for the couple living in the mailbox, along with a rug and even some art for the wall. Then came a four-poster bed.


 
 
 

At some point, a second mystery note appeared, claiming the Mary and Shelley dolls formerly lived in a two-story Dutch-style doll house, but had decided Powell’s mailbox house was more accommodating for their cousin Shirley – a third figurine with a broken leg – who sometimes visited the couple

“Then, after (February) ice storm, I did a post that said the family was locked in the mailbox and couldn’t get out,” Powell said. “Somebody asked if they lost power, I said ‘No, they don’t have power to begin with, but they do have a wood burning stove and were working from home.’”