Stave I
December 19th, 2017
The halls were decked and the banister was wrapped in a tinsel-holly aberration created by Tom. In fact, if you looked around the whole house, it was all Tom's doing. The lights around the windows, an obsession of his from two Christmases ago. The fiber-optic tree, no doubt found in a sky-mall catalog from their last trip to the Caribbean. And finally, the thing that really irked Carol the most, was the toilet seat projector that cast holiday images into the porcelain bowl.
"Are you serious?" Carol said, peering through the slit of her eyes into their master bathroom toilet.
"What? It was on sale, isn't it awesome?!" Tom elated from the walk-in closet. He pulled out a suit-case and plopped it open on the bed. "I got one for my folks too. They're going to love it."
Carol rolled her eyes and feigned some enthusiasm as she smiled before closing the bathroom door. Her mind wandered in the steady stream while she sat on the toilet. It was her least favorite time of the year, and for some reason, this had been the worst year. It wasn't just the gaudy decorations in the house.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Tom could read the gloom on her face. "Come on, come with me. The kids will love it. My parents will love it." He saw her eyes glued to her phone. "And you can leave all that stuff behind."
Since she had taken over the company's CFO role, Carol's tension had rose along with her penchant to take on the duty. "You know I can't." She didn't even look up. "All those morons at work are going to be out and I'll be on the hook." She frantically looked in her purse for her other work phone and felt Tom come up behind her.
"Oh I think I have something that will help you forget about all that." Tom leaned into her. Carol felt the small prick on her behind, insignificant but impossible to not register. "I'll put in work for you, boss." Tom teased as Carol kept sifting through her purse.
She finally found the outline of the device and pushed past her pocket rocket disguised as lipstick. Carol paused to think about how it was really the hardest worker for her when she worked late. A quick turning check on its battery gave a low whir in her hand and she switched it off. She quickly forgot about Tom's advances and made a mental note to charge the damn thing next time at the office.
"No I think that's okay." Carol turned around with the phone in her hand. "A bunch of e-mails just came up. The Asian markets are coming up, I need to be plugged in soon." She scrunched Tom's shoulders with false sympathy. "You take the kids and go, I'll be busy no matter what and I don't want to damper your fun."
Tom was defeated, but he hid it well and gave an almost-apologetic agreement. "Alright well, if you change your mind..." He had trailed off, but Carol already had her work-bag in hand.
"I know. Don't worry about me." She gave him a side-hug and called out to their children as she took down the stairs. "Have fun you all!" Carol shouted out, in reflex, as she shut the door behind her.
***
The dimly lit open office floor was not a strange sight to Carol. Her office sat in the corner and could often be seen as the only illuminated corner window from the street late at night. Even when the clock read 11:30 pm, Carol didn't bat a lash to it.
But on this evening, it was eerie when she looked out to see the rest of the room was dark save for the few emergency lights around the perimeter of the large floor. The cubicles all glowed dimly from the computers they all housed. Carol was used to seeing a few stragglers still working, making a good impression for the boss. But now when she looked out, she only caught the faint reflection of herself in the glass that separated her office from theirs.
Nerved by the loneliness, but desiring to deny herself the sympathy, Carol turned off the harsh florescent lights overhead and opted for her desk lamp. She eyed the lipstick connected to her laptop. The light had changed from red to green, the sight of a full-charge was enough to entice her.
Carol pulled it off and turned it on, excited by the familiar, nearly silent welcoming feeling. She knew just where and how to put it. Her fancy executive chair had a dip in its seat that she could prop the vibe just right. She undid the top buttons of her blouse and felt the cool air on her tight cleavage. Carol found the sweet spot with no trouble and instantly relaxed back in her chair.
Generally, she would turn her chair around and look out during the day when she had her "boss-time." It was a name unknown to her, but her employees had coined. One observant employee overhead the noise of the vibe when she had asked Carol a question while her chair was turned. Since that day, whenever they needed something to be approved, they made sure to get Carol when she had thoroughly had her "boss-time."
On this night however, Carol didn't need to swivel around for her time in that personal oasis. Her lips had melted into a smile while her eyes flitted in a bliss. She could feel her wet panties cling to the lipstick vibrator. Carol's conscious swam in the subtle noise of the quiet office building. Until a loud thud registered on her desk.
Carol's eyes jarred open and the vibrator had dislodged the sweet spot. On her desk were a stack of folders, ones that she had no recalled placing. She looked around the dim office floor and saw no-one. She looked behind her chair in panic as well. When she swiveled around again to see the stack, a blue glowing figured stood at the foot of her desk.
"Dammit Carrie." The blue old lady shook her free fist. Her other arm had held another whole stack of folders. "What in blazes are you still doing here?"
"Di..." Carol rubbed her eyes, "Diane?" She wide-eyed the figure and her desk lamp went flickered off. The figure readjusted the folders again and looked down at Carol through her thick glasses.
"Duh, you dummy." Diane replied and pulled at a cigarette from her free hand. Carol hadn't seen it before but now could smell the smoke. "Who else would it be?"
"How are you--" Carol started.
"I'm fine thanks for asking." Diane cut her off. "Just dead."
"Here?" Carol stumbled out and rolled her chair back.
"Me? Well why else would I be here?" Diane started. "I work here don't I? Always have, always will be." She waved her spectral cigarette around the room.
Carol was mesmerized by the smoke and remembered how Diane used to rule the roost in the office. She had been co-CEO with Wilbur James back when Carol had joined the company. Diane had groomed Carol to take over for when Diane would eventually step-down. But then, for an unexplained reason, Diane passed Carol over as her successor and worked til her death. Carol still harbored sour feelings for her.
"I know that look." Diane wheezed and pointed her cigarette at Carol. "You're still that dumb little bitch." Diane laughed and coughed. "You just don't know when to quit do you?"
"You weren't exactly the best mentor. You'd be mad too if you got passed over for a promotion." Carol defied in disgust.
"Mentor?" Diane said curiously. "I never set out to do such a damn thing." She slammed the folders on the table and took on a more other-worldly tone. "If you didn't always have your panties in a bunch, you'd have seen I was doing you a favor."
"You? Do a favor?" Carol laughed.
"Yuk all you want. That's what brings me here tonight." Diane gravely replied and Carol's countenance changed. "Back then I was trying to save you from my own fate. I saw a lot of you in me. I knew you could go places with your hard-work... but you could also suffer like me. And I wouldn't, couldn't bear that."