Getting Lost in Your Work Ch1

You have unanswered questions about your strange new job, but those questions may be better left unasked...

What's the worst that can happen when accepting an offer for a job you don't understand, every other job you've worked has sucked anyways right? Such unbeatable logic, and a recurring habit of buying food to eat, motivates you to accept the almost-too-good-to-be-true-but-not-enticing-enough-to-be-a-scam job with your trademark shrug of apathy. If the increasingly dystopian capitalist hellscape world is going to throw you a bone then no use looking it in the mouth before it hatches, as they say. Probably something close to that, at least.

Waking up early enough to regret it, and almost early enough to be on time, you begin to yawn at the bus stop, continue yawning while you sit down, and finish at your desk. Lacking any instruction or assignments as usual, you go ahead with the same morning routine you've been carrying out since you started this job a few days ago. Not that anyone ever pays attention to what you're doing (or not doing) at this spot in the otherwise empty 2nd floor of the building. Everyone else is located on the third floor, with the first being dedicated to the lobby, some storage space, and an empty security office. When you asked about the absence of a security team during the tour Dave laughed in the way a person does when a child asks what to do if a dinosaur shows up, which turned out to be his typical way of responding to questions about, well anything almost. "Who could get up to mischief here, of all places? None of us bite, unless you change something about that. Haha!" Dave was your manager, no wait supervisor? Department head? That can't be right, there's not enough employees here for multiple departments. Even if you have trouble remembering his exact job title, Dave is the person you answer to.Theoretically.

Problem is, he doesn't ask any questions for you to answer, mindless small talk and mind numbing corporate speak excluded. Unfortunately. Each day you arrive almost on time, turn on your computer, and semi randomly click around enough to keep the screen turned on. Almost anybody else you know would see this as agonizingly boring, but the monotony allows your mind to wander enough that the day goes by quick. Quickly enough that it's honestly hard to remember the details of your workdays, and you happily accept a blur over more unpleasant workplace memories. Despite the seemingly obvious fact that you're not getting any work done or really even doing anything, everybody else around the office keeps acting as if you're right where you belong, which you've seen no reason to disagree with so far.

Honestly it's kinda funny how quickly you agree with people ever since you started working here, this place brought out a quiet stillness in contrast to your usual reckless-rebel-without-a-cause-but-with-a-mouth type attitude. Mentally shrugging at the curious moment of reflection, you step out of the elevator and into the lobby. Wait, was that the elevator you took just now? Didn't you take the stairs again thanks to the repairs being performed, and while walking down the stairs you saw something so unbelievable you just couldn't h-...what was that image in your mind just now? Shaking off the fuzzy memory of last nights freaky dream you step out of the elevator and into the lobby. Time to celebrate another successful day of (not) working hard and recharge for tomorrow when you (don't?) do it all over again! You (didn't?) earn it, after all.

Reviews

[Andrew Golding]

Reminds me of an episode of Severance, with kind of The Office vibe. I like the overall tone and choice of narration from the second person observer POV. It forces a perspective change, where the reader is the main character, and your thoughts and experiences become ours. First person storytelling is standard, but it relies on the reader to identify or not with the person telling the story. The second person model is an underused device which turns reader into storyteller, and you are dropped into an immersive experience without permission or consent. See what I did there? "You" are dropped into...ah never mind, I'm being a blowhard. Anyway, keep going with this character. Keeping watering him. He wants to live.

[Carrie]

Not much of a story. Good detail. A good lead. But not much of a plot. Ended to soon.