Today was a normal day, just like every day. You had to admit that the days have began to blend in now that you’ve gotten a lot better at your job duties. And you don’t find that a bad thing at all, because now you really don’t need to worry about messing up during work or anything. And your co-workers are all pretty nice and friendly, for the most part, so interacting with them is enjoyable.
Although, something that was bugging you since yesterday was the office’s shared desks. The other day, you decided to work at it to see what all the hubbub was about, and when you were almost done your work, you looked under the desk and saw something odd. It was a realistic 3 foot mannequin, and you realized that you never felt it because you’ve always had a habit of keeping your legs close to your chair, so you later ask the management about it. They told you that it was left over from the previous owners, and they decided to turn it into a stress toy for employees. You were fairly confused, and they explained that the mannequin was pretty beat up already, and that it really couldn’t be used for much of anything. So they cleaned it off and set it up deep under that desk. They also mentioned that they had a list of instructions and rules for using the desk, if you had any more questions. You thought that the whole idea was both crazy and genius, because it was a cheap way to reduce employee stress and improve morale.
So when you looked at the list today, you found out all of the rules.
1) Do not abuse the mannequin with shoes on. This is a sturdy tool, but we do not believe that it can handle damage from hard shoes. We do not wish to damage the object enough to warrant additional repairs. This tool is an office privilege, not a right.
2) Please sign in before using the desk, both noting when you started and when you finished. This is for liability purposes.
3) Please do not clean or adjust the mannequin yourself. There are specific night crews who are equipped to that job.
4) Remember that you share this office with your peers. Please do not spend more than 2 hours, or more than ¼ of your shift, at this desk (whichever amount is larger).
5) Most importantly, please enjoy! We at Rankit Industries want this to be a stress-free work environment. So work out your stress as much as you wish.
You were actually surprised to how detailed they were, but then again, they probably didn’t want any legal loop holes or any chances of damaging a resource like this. But while you were sitting down, you started to feel a bit dizzy. No one else was around, so you tried laying your head down for a few minutes. But you eventually pass out, but you quickly awaken under the desk, except this doesn’t seem right. You look up, and realize that your whole body doesn’t even reach the top of the desk. You must have shrunk! You look at the mannequin next to you, and begin to notice the smell that obviously reeked from it, and determined that you must have been 3 feet tall just like this mannequin. But then, a devilish idea pops into your head. You noticed a small space that the mannequin would fit inside of, but would be both out of the way of the people sitting at the desk and out of sight. What if you move the mannequin out of the way and took its place? You had tried to avoid looking at your co-worker’s feet, because you wanted to remain professional and not make things feel awkward for you, but now you really couldn’t resist. And some part of you was convinced that you were dreaming, so you threw caution to the wind. You quickly texted your boss telling him that you need to go home because you suddenly got ill, and luckily your boss wished you well, so you were in the clear. You then turned off your cell phone and removed the battery, before storing it in the same spot that you stored the mannequin. You didn’t want anything to happen that might give you away, after all!
Since you told your boss that you needed to leave, you knew that the next person to use the desk would appear soon. So you quickly got into position, sitting up against the desk wall, and waited to see who would come to abuse you. After a few minutes you heard the door swing open, and you were greeted by the shoes of your first abuser. They were:
1) Jen’s green flats (Go to In Comes Jen - Chapter 1)
2) Meghan’s leather boots
3) Kristen’s fluffy moccasins
4) Miriam’s ugg boots