Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

In the Elevator

I sighed as I stepped through the doors. Called to the top once again. WHat would it be this time? I was sick of being blamed for the mistakes in my department. They made all the budget cuts and hired a bunch of inexperienced employees and I took the brunt of it. I resisted the urge to slam the button and then another to press all of them in an effort to delay this pointless exercise. I should just quit.

As the doors slid closed in a manner that seemed faster than usual to me, I rifled through my memories for what this summons could be regarding. It couldn't be the copy room incident, I had made sure to cover up the disaster as discreetly as possible. It could be the missing food from the kitchens...one of the new hires seemed to have a penchant for stealing bananas. I couldn't see how I could be blamed for that one, but who knew in this company? Maybe it was the account that the new hire from last week had lost due to his monkeying around. I shook my head. It was pointless trying to figure out that I was heading for.

As I glanced up at the floor counter I saw that I had only reached 21. only 20 more to go. "What is wrong with this place?" I vented, thinking I was alone. I heard an ansering rumble. I was wrong. I peeked behind me, and there he was. A rhino in the elevator with me.

Well, this was awkward. I didn't know what to do. I had just insulted the company in front of a rhino. Great. This day was shaping up perfectly. I shuffled my feetforward, trying to create some space between my faux pas and myself. It was silent, only the elevator music patheticaly warbled through the tinny speakers. I listened to his heavy breathing and tried to stay invisible. I hoped he wasn't going to the same floor.

The floors dinged by slowly, painfully. As it finally creeped up to the 41st floor I started to relax. As the doors started to slide open, I heard the rhino open his mouth.

"What are you in trouble for? This affirmative action hiring is killing my department. The monkeys are stealing bananas and photocopying their feces and I'm left getting the brunt. How's it going in accounts?"

I internally banged my head on the wall. Another chatty rhino. Just another day at Acme

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