The Break Room

Deborah had spent virtually her entire work day waiting for her break. She didn’t have time to fit in breakfast that morning, and had slept poorly the night before, so she was definitely not functioning at full capacity. As soon as the clock struck - okay, maybe a few minutes before - she bolted for the break room. She had a date with a mac and cheese microwave meal.

“Hey Deb,” greeted Barb as the microwave finished beeping. “Have you seen Clara anywhere? I have this big stack of paperwork for her and I’ve been trying to get a hold of her all day. Is she sick?”

Deborah leaned against the counter as she mixed her mac. “You didn’t hear about Clara?”

The answer was, of course, no.

“You know the magic portal she found in closet number five?”

Barb nodded. “What about it?”

“Well, she married some Faerie prince on the other side of it. They’re on their honeymoon now. She hasn’t been back in two weeks.”

“That sounds like the plot of a romance novel. Good for her!” Barb commented. “But… she didn’t take time off?”

“I know.” huffed Deborah. “I can’t believe they’re still paying her.”

“Hi,” came the voice of the new hire, Raina, and the two greeted her.

“Am I crazy or does it smell like a mowed lawn in here…?” asked Raina. “Did either of you spray some CK One by chance?”

Deborah and Barb exchanged glances as Raina opened the fridge.

Blocking Raina’s favorite energy drink was a huge salad bowl full of chopped grass, covered carefully with plastic wrap, and marked with a sticky note that read ‘Tim’.

“Why is there grass in the fridge?” exclaimed Raina.

“It’s her first day,” said Barb, “she doesn’t know about Tim.” Deborah shook her head.

“Tim at the reception desk? The handsome guy with the interesting beard?”

The other two nodded. “He went into closet number five.” They said, almost in unison. “He came back… different.”

Then the clicking of heels came reverberating down the hall towards the break room, and the three turned their heads to the door.

Instead of a woman, though, they saw Tim himself; standing not upon shoes, indeed he did not need them, but upon split hooves.

“He-e-ey ladies,” he greeted goatily, “oh, would you pass me my salad, please?”

Deborah and Barb glanced at the clock and saw that their break time was over, so Deborah disposed of the remains of her meal and headed towards the door as Barb grabbed another coffee. “Raina, you’ll do fine here,” said Deb, “just stay out of that closet.”

As the other two women left, Raina popped open her energy drink and took a bite of her homemade sandwich. The stress of her first day at work somehow made it taste better. Contrary to the disastrous scenarios she’d imagined on her commute that morning, her first day hadn't been so bad after all.

And then came numerous profanities in Tim’s voice. A result of pouring coffee and eating ‘salad’ at the same time, his shirt was now dark with steaming coffee and the floor was a slipping hazard. “I can’t believe I did that!” he said, trying to lap up some of the coffee with his tongue. “ And we’re out of paper towels, too.”

Raina looked around to see that he was right. “Where do you keep them? I’ll go grab some for you.”

“Ah, thanks, Raina. They’re around the corner, in closet number five.”