The Elevator

reg Tappman worked on the seventh floor of the Cholla Office Building in downtown Tucson. It was very hot as the cicadas sung the song of summer. Greg almost wished he hadn't rode his bicycle to work. It had left him sweaty and just a little bit on the stinky side.

He was running a little late. If he was late just one more time, his boss would fire him. That's exactly what he had told Greg. His boss was a viscously strict taskmaster. And no matter what Greg did for the man, he could never do enough.

Greg was desperately trying to get back into shape. He had gained a little weight since his marriage last spring. Well, not a little weight. He had almost put on thirty pounds.

These bike rides to the office were just the trick, Greg figured. That and the extra little things. Things like walking a little faster to get from place to place, going to people's offices directly instead of simply calling them on the phone, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If he did these things, he could eat pretty much anything he wanted and not feel guilty.

It was almost nine in the morning, but it had already reached ninety degrees outside. It was going to be a hot one. Greg always brought plenty of water on his bike ride to work. Many people made the mistake of not drinking enough. In this heat, exercise could be dangerous.

He locked his bike up to the rack, and jogged up the stairs. Sweat was now puddling underneath his arms. He would have to remember to bring an extra shirt and leave it in his office. Greg was lucky he decided to take the stairs that Tuesday afternoon, real lucky.

In the lobby, Greg said hello to Alejandro Trujillo. He worked in accounting on the same floor as Greg. Alejandro waved back and stepped inside the elevator, setting his heavy briefcase of the floor. Greg decided it might be fun to race Alejandro to the seventh floor.

As soon as the doors closed, Greg bolted off up the stairs. The stairs were generally empty, as the elevator was much easier to use. As Greg ran upwards, his heart pounded furiously in his chest. His lungs gasped for precious air. The loud echo of his thundering footsteps filled the stairwell, and Greg tried not to give up.

Finally, Greg reached the seventh floor. He had to walk the last two floors, but he had still made good time. In the hallway, he noticed the elevator lights above the doors. The light indicated Alejandro was on the fifth floor, now sixth, and then the elevator reached the seventh.

The doors opened up as Greg wheezed for air. He looked up inside. The elevator made a soft "ping" noise, indicating its arrival. Alejandro was not inside.

His briefcase still lay on the floor, upright and waiting. Greg was confused. Maybe he got off on another floor and forgot his case. Alejandro was known for his excellent memory, however. Something about this bothered Greg.

He decided to get the briefcase and give it to Alejandro later. It would give him an excuse to quit working later on in the day, if only for a little while. Greg stepped into the elevator, and reached for the case.

There was a strange smell in the small space, a bad smell. Greg couldn't quite identify what it smelled like, but he knew it was wrong. He would have to report it to maintenance later on.

He grabbed the case, and lifted the bulky object. The doors began to close. Greg quickly ran out, but the doors were quick. Too quick. Thankfully, they caught the briefcase instead of his leg.

The closing doors were supposed to open again when someone touched them, it was a standard safety feature. These doors, obviously, were malfunctioning. The case was caught, and firmly. Greg tried to pull it out, but the doors closed like a vise. The case buckled and then dented. Greg let go.

He could hear a gurgling noise from inside the elevator. Then he could actually feel hot air blowing out, and then being sucked in. Greg thought his imagination had gone haywire. It felt like the thing was breathing.

The case flew into the elevator and the doors slammed together. Greg stepped back. What had just happened here? He went into his office and called maintenance. As he told them what had happened, he tried not to sound crazy. Greg didn't think he was very convincing.

His boss came in around noon. "Mr. Tappman. I've just heard that you've been giving maintenance a little grief. Is this true?"

"Just letting them know of the problems with the elevator. Did they fix it?" Greg asked.

"Hard to improve on perfection, Tappman. No, they did not. But, I'm curious...how much work did you avoid when calling them?" His boss sneered.

"Sir, that was not my intent at all. I was simply..."

"You are simply going to get back to work and leave maintenance alone. Understand?" He barked.

Greg responded, "Yes sir."

"Tappman. Another thing, I want you to work through lunch today. We are a little short handed. It seems Mr. Trujillo decided to take the day off without calling in. And for goodness sakes, why don't you use some deodorant? You smell terrible."

Greg almost said something about Alejandro, but bit his tongue. His boss would never believe him. Greg wasn't sure he believed it himself. He worked through lunch, and his stomach growled at him angrily. Well, it wasn't like he couldn't afford to lose a few meals.

The next day, Greg repeated his routine. He rode his bike to work and took the stairs to his office. He did, however, bring a change of clothes so he wouldn't smell. He was only five minutes late getting into his office, but his boss was already waiting for him.

"What did I tell you about tardiness, Tappman? I cannot abide by such a lack of discipline. If I weren't so short handed, I would fire you on the spot!"

"Sorry, sir. I really do apologize. I took the stairs and had to change. Tomorrow I will get here early and..."

"I don't care about excuses. All I care about is getting this work finished. Now, Robert Walker didn't come in today. I want you to take some of his work load. Take the Emerson Book Store account and see what you can do with it." He demanded.

Greg nodded in agreement and began his daily drudgery. He had seen Robert's car when he came in today. It was in the parking lot, same as always. He wondered if the elevator had gotten him, too. Boy, Greg thought, did that sound silly.

At noon, Greg decided to duck out for lunch before his boss could give him any more work. He walked past the elevator on the way to the stairs.

As he passed its doors, they opened slowly. He heard the soft "ping" noise. Them Greg could have sworn that he heard a slow, deep growl coming from deep inside. "No thanks," he said, "I'll walk."

The doors slammed shut and then opened and slammed shut again. It reminded Greg of an alligator chomping its ferocious jaws. Then that terrible smell filled the hallway. "Nice try, but no lunch for you." Greg said.

As he opened the door to the stairwell, Greg heard the elevator growl loudly. It was unmistakable. Either he was crazy, or that thing was alive.

Greg went to lunch and ate large amounts of everything. He was so hungry. He ate so much and had such a good meal that he lost track of time. He was going to be late again.

He immediately paid the check and rode his bike back towards the office. He wouldn't even have time to change out of his sweat clothes. Maybe his boss had left for the day, Greg hoped.

Greg didn't even bother locking his bike. He ran into the office building and toward the stairs. As he passed the elevator, its doors opened again. Greg said, "Nice try." The elevator growled its disapproval.

When he finally reached the seventh floor, Greg was very late. His boss was waiting in the hallway. "I had thought you walked out on me too. What is this? Most of the office is just disappearing. You think you can come in late when there is so much work to do? You should not have even gone to lunch today. Tappman, I can't abide by your tardiness any longer. I don't care how short handed we are, you are going to have to be let go. After you finish your work today, clear out your desk. Now, I need that book store account. Is it finished?"

Greg thought for a moment. Luckily, He had finished the job before lunch. He responded, "Yes. It is finished. I was working on it at lunch today, which is why I was late. I left it downstairs, though. I wanted Ms. Browne to check it out for me."

"Let's go get it immediately. Mr. Emerson has already been more than patient." He lectured.

"Yes sir." Greg said.

The two walked out of the office and into the hallway. The elevator doors opened hungrily. Greg smelled the foul stench pouring out of it.

"Did you use deodorant today, Tappman. You just plain stink."

Greg walked behind his boss towards the elevator. "After you, Sir."

His boss stepped in and the doors slammed shut. Greg could hear muffled screams and gurgling noises, then all was silent. Greg smiled. Perhaps his new boss would be a little more understanding.

As Greg walked back towards his office, he could have sworn he heard a low, guttural voice saying, "Thank you."

"No, no," Greg said, "Thank you."