He arrived in the office. The receptionist looked up from her catalog and chirped an ever-so-slightly forced salutation. &quot;Good morning, ummm, Mr. Smith. How are you today?&quot; Taken back, he muttered under his breath, &quot;How do you think I'm doing?&quot;. He held up his arm, wanting her to notice his dilemma. &quot;Oh my&quot; she said. Her expression dimming once she caught sight of the arm. &quot;I'll let him know you're here right away Mr. Smith&quot; He turned around and surveyed the small vestibule. Several people were seated, each with an empty chair between them. A curious man stood facing the corner. After due consideration, the man chose the seat that he thought would offer him the least chance of interaction anyone else. A moment later, he heard the click of a doorknob turning, and the sickening groan of hinges that have turned too many times. &quot;Mr. Smith, follow me please.&quot; He rose from his perch, carefully moving his arm to avoid contact with the woman next to him. As he entered, the first thing he noticed was the... 2008-05-07T18:19:55Z http://ficlets.com/feed/story/29625 <p>thebetweenspace,</p> <p>good question&#8230;.you tell me ;)</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/29625?basename=60825 2008-05-07T18:19:55Z Jackie Treehorn http://ficlets.com/authors/user_9066 <p>Great and interesting open-ended story, but what was the first thing he noticed?</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/29625?basename=60815 2008-05-07T17:43:17Z thebetweenspace http://ficlets.com/authors/thebetweenspace <p>I like it, all the elements of both interesting back story and potential for more mayhem or drama to follow. Excellent example of what ficlets is for.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/29625?basename=60802 2008-05-07T17:15:44Z THX 0477 http://ficlets.com/authors/thx_0477