What story inspired "The Box"?

Search: the box

Why: In In Touch Weekly:

Would you unlock a box given to you by a mysterious stranger and press a button inside it in exchange for a million dollars - even though doing so would cause the death of someone you don't know? That's the moral dilemma faced by married couple Cameron Diaz and James Cameron in this thriller from Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly. The short story that inspired the movie was already the basis for a classic episode of The Twilight Zone, but the questions it raises about need and greed remain as provocative as ever.

Answer: "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson, originally published in Playboy in 1970! The 1986 "Twilight Zone" episode was also called "Button, Button."

Here is the beginning of it (I can't find the full text anywhere):

The package was lying by the front door—a cube-shaped carton sealed with tape, their name and address printed by hand: “Mr. and Mrs. Lewis, 217 E. Thirty-seventh Street, New York 10016.”

Norma picked it up, unlocked the door, and went into the apartment. It was just getting dark. After she put the lamb chops in the broiler, she sat down to open the package. Inside the carton was a push-button unit fastened to a small wooden box. A glass dome covered the button. Norma tried to lift it off, but it was locked in place. She turned the unit over and saw a folded piece of paper Scotch-taped to the bottom of the box. She pulled it off: “Mr. Steward will call on you at 8:00 p.m.” Norma put the button unit beside her on the couch. She reread the typed note, smiling. A few moments later, she went back into the kitchen to make the salad.

The doorbell rang at eight o’clock. “I’ll get it,” Norma called from the kitchen. Arthur was in the living room, reading. There was a small man in the hallway. He removed his hat as Norma opened the door.

“Mrs. Lewis?” he inquired politely.
“Yes?”
“I’m Mr. Steward.”
“Oh, yes.” Norma repressed a smile. She was sure now it was a sales pitch.
“May I come in?” asked Mr. Steward.
“I’m rather busy,” Norma said. “I’ll get you your watchamacallit, though.”
She started to turn.
“Don’t you want to know what it is?” Norma turned back.
Mr. Steward’s tone had been offensive. “No, I don’t think so,” she replied.
“It could prove very valuable,” he told her.
“Monetarily?”she challenged
Mr. Steward nodded. “Monetarily,” he said.

Norma frowned. She didn’t like his attitude.
“What are you trying to sell?” she asked.
“I’m not selling anything,” he answered.
Arthur came out of the living room.
“Something wrong”
Mr. Steward introduced himself.
“Oh, the –” Arthur pointed toward the living room and smiled. “What is that gadget anyway?”
“It won’t take long to explain,” replied Mr. Steward. “May I come in?”
“If you’re selling something—,” Arthur said.
He hesitated. “Well, why not?” he said.

They went into the living room and Mr. Steward sat in Norma’s chair. He reached into an inside coat pocket and withdrew a small sealed envelope.

“Inside here is a key to the bell- unit dome,” he said. He set the envelope on the chairside table. “The bell is connected to our office.”
“What’s it for?” asked Arthur.

“If you push the button,” Mr. Steward told him, “somewhere in the world someone you don’t know will die. In return for which you will receive a payment of $50,000.”

Source: Wikipedia

The More You Know: Matheson also wrote (among many other things):

• I Am Legend (which was filmed as The Last Man on Earth, The Omega Man & I Am Legend)
• What Dreams May Come (filmed as What Dreams May Come)
• A Stir of Echoes (filmed as Stir of Echoes)