Michael sat at the computer, staring dully into the screen in front of him. He’d tried reading these articles before, of course, but they weren’t any more inspiring this time around than they had been yesterday. And at least he’d had the luxury of a library to work in then. Now, the only things providing any kind of relief from the monotony were the intensely annoying air conditioner, blowing down the back of his neck, and the internet.

He had considered going elsewhere – home would be nice, he thought, as visions of tea and biscuits swam past his eyes – but kept on remembering the promise he’d made to himself that he would get this work done, and would stop wasting so much time. Little chance of that, he thought now. Wasting time is what I do.

The air conditioner continued its mindless task, as the names and dates of the articles remained solidly on the screen, challenging him to do something with them. He was just about to check Facebook for the fiftieth time that day, when suddenly the door opened.