Envelopes

This isn't really a story, but I am working on something bigger an unfortunate side effect of which is that I really haven't had time to work on short stories. What I am about to post basically just happened in a chat between me and Wes a little while ago and I decided it was fun enough to post. Especially since no one reads this.

Envelopes

You're in the office late stuffing envelopes with holiday cards.
Thousands of holiday cards.
The dust, like clouds, forms vague images as it floats through the air.
A duck, a hammer, a hand putting a letter in an envelope.
You're being mocked by dust.
You stuff envelopes.
Your lamp is on and the moon is beaming full through the window.
A trapezoid of pale light is splayed across your desk, spilling over the edges and onto the floor.
The only sounds are paper crinkling in your hands

cards fwooshing into the envelopes

your dry tongue sliding across and priming the glue.

Occasionally there is a muted honk from outside
maybe a yell - someone hailing a cab.

You stuff envelopes.

There is a ringing sound.
It sounds like a phone from the 1950's.

You try and ignore it.

ring
You stuff envelopes.
ring
crinkle.

 ring

fwoosh.

 ring

lick.

ring

crinkle.

 riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Was that ring longer than the others?

It certainly seemed longer.
riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

Definitely longer.
You stop stuffing envelopes.
You get up to investigate
the carpet muffling your footsteps
the office quieter now than before

 riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing

except for the ear splitting 1950's phone ring.



You locate the phone in an office at the end of the hall.

Why is there a phone from the 1950's in your office?

You ponder the phone as the dust dances around it.
A grandfather clock, a smile, the letter R

 riiiiiiiii-

You pick it up.

On the other end of the line a man speaks

his voice is monotone, unending

you dont recognize the language

it's not gibberish, you can detect the rhythms that indicate language.


It almost sounds like English
but you've never heard this language before.


It seems like he’s been talking for a while

there are strange echoes and warbles in the sound

he doesnt seem to breathe

thinking about it now you realize you haven't breathed in a while either

the whole time you've been listening you haven't taken one breath

something about that doesn't feel right

you inhale

water fills your nostrils

that doesn't feel right either

panic

looking around your entire office is submerged
that’s definitely not right
panic

you swim back to your desk

your panic subsiding because obviously you should already be dead and your not

now you're just confused

a fish swims by wearing a porkpie hat
NOW you're just confused

you stuff a few envelopes
you're not even sure their is a post office under the sea so you stop

you look at the envelope box

warning: licking envelopes may cause hallucinations