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EXCERPTS
Short Story
"Lincoln Towers."
Soon to be published: The Chariton Review. (Volume 31, Number 31 or 32. Date TBD.)
Description: A resident of a housing complex on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is having trouble telling his dreams apart from his waking life--at least he hopes they’re dreams.
Excerpt:
He slips into the Xerox room at lunch to make a copy of his resume for the headhunter who called last week, rehearsing plausible explanations while operating the machine. Quickly grabbing the document from the output shelf, he tucks it into a manila folder labeled “Budget” and nonchalantly begins to head out of the room. Mission accomplished.
Pausing at the threshold, he feels a knot in his stomach, a fail-proof warning that something is wrong. Turning slowly around, he feels the knot tighten and catches sight of the machine cranking out more copies—five, six, seven—with no apparent intention of ever stopping. Not knowing exactly how to work the machine in an emergency, he hits all the buttons on the control panel, relieved when all activity ceases, and tucks the additional copies into his folder. Turning to head out, he pauses once again at the threshold, where he feels his second rush of relief for the day.
When he returns to his office and slides the folder into his briefcase, he feels the knot again. Is there a memo he was supposed to write? Has he asked his assistant to set up the meeting with the marketing department? Has he made a copy of his resume yet? He checks his briefcase twice, momentarily reassured that everything is in order, but then suddenly bolts down the hall back to the Xerox room, where he finds the machine turning out copies at an accelerated clip. Thirty-five. Thirty-six. Thirty-seven. He revisits the copy room several times that afternoon, never fully comforted by the machine’s inactivity.
In the middle of the night, he wakes up in a cold sweat. Has he been dreaming? Whatever the case, he appreciates the interruption, luxuriating in the familiarity of his bedroom at Lincoln Towers with its dramatic river views and the comfort of his rosewood modified sleigh bed with its down duvet and plump pillows before rolling over to resume his night’s sleep.
[End of excerpt]
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