my job in the supply department was to take orders that were submitted from … from somewhere... .and match the order numbers with items from the warehouse.
the items were all different sizes. they could be anything from a whole airplane engine, to a single little screw in a paper packet. you could not tell from the order numbers. you never knew what you were looking for until you went and found it.
there were five of us, a red, a green, two magentas, and myself. we were kept fairly busy and did not talk much.
the green, named k, and one of the magentas, named c, were friends and always took lunch and other breaks together, but even they did not talk much when the other three of us were present.
one night, just before we shut down, i got an order. when i found it, it was some kind of engine, and it was so heavy i had to check out a forklift to move it.
by the time i got it to the loading dock, it was past quitting time. i thought i must be the only person left in the building.
but when i went back upstairs to get my coat and hat, i found k and c waiting for the elevator.
what are you doing here? k asked me with a scowl. c nodded and scowled at me too.
i could ask you the same thing, i answered with a smile. but since you ask, i had a heavy piece of… i explained what i had done as briefly as i could.
we don’t believe you, c said.
the elevator bell rang.
be that as it may, i said, here is the elevator. we can continue this discussion on it, if you think it would be worthwhile.
k and c did not relax their scowls, but the three of us got on the elevator. k stood on my right, in front of the buttons for the different floors, and c stood behind me.
when we got to the ground floor, c pulled out a pistol and shot me in the back like a dog, killing me instantly as dead as a doornail.
his cruel laughter was the last thing i heard.
what had i done to deserve such a fate?
life, like laughter, can be cruel sometimes.
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