The exercise:
Write about: an office Halloween party.
Happy Halloween from Police Officer Miles and Vampire Monster Max.
(I did get a picture but it was just as kids were starting to arrive and they were both more focused on being ready to hand out candy than posing for the photo)
3 comments:
It's a shame there's no picture, but like you say, that's not really the point of the evening :) And you still have a picture, which is the most important thing. I hope you accumulated more treats than tricks!
An office Hallowe'en party
"Attendance isn't mandatory," said the secretary, smiling in a deeply insincere way. Her white teeth and reddened lips glistened in the fluorescent lighting used in the Reception area -- a strange choice Miss Hyde thought, as it washed out the colours of everything -- and her eyes definitely didn't twinkle. The harsh lighting did almost conceal, though not to Miss Hyde's schoolteacher-sharp eyes, the dark circles the reception had around her own eyes and the faint worry lines across her brow. "But I think that the Board wouldn't have extended the invitation if they didn't want you to come."
Miss Hyde considered. There wasn't any extra stress in that last sentence and she'd been listening for it, expecting it even. So perhaps there was some sincerity in what this woman was saying, though frankly she oozed oil and deception, almost literally.
"Miss Sikh doesn't do parties," she said, hedging for a moment while she considered it. An office Hallowe'en party in a strange office with only strangers sounded like Perdition. She was very surprised that the receptionist -- what was the wretched woman's name? Sally? Samantha? --was pressing the matter and not just accepting a casual "thanks but no thanks".
"Miss Sikh has already accepted," said the receptionist.
"Did she say anything about being hungry?" Miss Hyde's eyebrows had reflexively jerked up so far her eyes stung from the stretch.
"No," said the receptionist. "It starts at seven."
Miss Hyde walked down the blue carpeted hallway. The floor felt slightly springy under foot, because it was a false floor laid above the cableing that ran throughout the building. The walls were partition walls, steel frames holding glass, frosted glass, or plasterboard panels and were used to form offices for the various senior-level people. Every few paces she passed another door, alternating sides of the corridor, each labeled with their occupant's name. It reminded her of a specimen laboratory for reasons she preferred not to think about. One door had a black paper bat blue-tacked to it and another had a child's drawing of a pumpkin, but there were no other visible concessions to Hallowe'en. At the end she turned a corner and the rooms became conference rooms. Often not much larger than the offices she's just passed. She walked a little further along until she reached the one that had been assigned to her and Miss Sikh -- they were auditing the company -- and went in.
"Happy Hallowe'en," said Miss Sikh in a voice that sounded like it's owner had seen empires rise and fall and civilisations crumble. "I think that's the appropriate greeting," came in a much more normal tone of voice.
"Not really," said Miss Hyde. "I mean, maybe in the colonies, but at home we don't celebrate it. Samhain just happens."
"The colonies?"
Miss Hyde grimaced, annoyed with herself for her slip. "It's been a while since I thought about Samhain," she said. "I think I was back when it was more important. You know how it is."
Miss Sikh nodded. "Although I have the added complication of it having been important more than once," she said.
"Why did you accept the party invitation?" Miss Hyde raised an eyebrow much more gently this time, as her eyes still hurt a little.
"Curiosity," said Miss Sikh. "We know they have a severe cash flow problem, and that need to downsize in short order or they're going under. Their plans for a rescue involving two major clients are going nowhere, and about 30% of their staff are, to be blunt, dead-weight. They can't afford this party but they're putting it on anyway. So I wonder how many of tonight's revellers will turn up for work tomorrow?"
Greg - we had one kid come to our door, put down his treat bag, and start pulling out treats to give *us*. His mom had to do some quick explaining on how things are supposed to go...
Not sure I'd want to be at a Halloween party with these two in attendance. Or any party they've chosen to attend, now that I think about it.
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