| Unfit for Use Arthur sat in his office, gazing at the miniature globe that sat on his desk. He had been doing paperwork but couldn�t seem to keep his focus. He had finished more than he had expected to yesterday so there wasn�t any rush. �Working hard?� Arthur looked up at his doorway to see a co-worker leaning on the doorframe. �Huh? No...Well, I would be but I can�t seem to today.� He glanced out the window. �Must be the weather.� The sun was shining brightly and it was the perfect picture of a warm spring day, including the birds. �Why don�t you go to Calvin James Institute? You were going to go tomorrow anyway and it has been rumored that they prepare for the inspections.� That�s what Arthur�s job was. He inspected hospitals, public buildings, asylums, and other public organizations. Many would be on their very best when he arrived so it was always good to stop by unexpectedly and catch them by surprise. �Hey, that�s not a bad idea, maybe I will. Thanks.� Arthur rolled his chair away from his desk and started to stand up. �No problem.� The guy continued on his way towards the water cooler. Carrying a briefcase full of forms and papers, Arthur locked his office door and headed for the parking lot. A half-hour drive later, he arrived at an enormous building, surrounded by tall fences. There were a few hedges around the area but nothing fancy or attractive for such a large structure. He parked outside the fenced area and got out of his car. Upon walking up to the front doors, Arthur noted, looking at the windows, faces with assorted expressions painted on them looked out, some watching him, some off in their own world. He opened the door and stepped inside. The walls were a deep burgundy colour and there were a dozen or so landscape paintings hung on the walls. A dark wooden desk was in the far left of the room next to a doorway that fed into a hallway which only led to more doors. At the desk sat an older looking woman hunched over a stack of papers, scribbling furiously on them. �Excuse me?� Arthur asked politely. �What?� The woman�s rudeness caught him off guard, and he fumbled a bit for words. �I�m�uh�from the board of sanitation and efficiency of facilities. I uh�� He quickly showed her a card, proving that he was on official business. The woman�s expression softened slightly. Flipping through another set of papers she asked in a scarcely more respectful tone. �Why are you here today?� Having had time to regain his confidence, Arthur got down to business. �The inspection has been moved forward to today. Will this be a problem?� With that question Arthur had implied that they might be preparing for his visit, and in doing so, they couldn�t say there was a problem because that would suggest that he was correct. �No, today is fine, I�ll be with you in a moment.� She left through the doorway and hurried through another door. A few long moments later, The woman returned with a tall greying man who at first seemed just as grumpy as she, but smiled widely and shook hands firmly, introducing himself as the head director of the Institute. �You have full access to the building.� The head director said, still smiling as he handed him a key. He turned down the hallway leaving Arthur with the woman who had already returned to work at her desk. Normally someone would show him around but no one was offering and the director had seemed to expect him to show himself around. Thus, he headed through the doorway and the woman at the desk made no protest. Wandering through the hallways, he took notes down on a clipboard he had brought in with him. The hallways were bright white with a minty-green border, giving a totally different atmosphere than the lobby. The voices of the patients were muffled but he could still here them. Some screamed, some ranted, some raved, and some laughed maniacally. This caused much discomfort for him. Arthur jumped as a door squeaked and a man wearing a blue uniform stepped out, carrying a broom. The man stood staring at him somewhat stupidly. He looked to be almost more of a resident than a worker. Arthur was about to say something, after his heart had stopped racing, but the man was charging towards him. �What the!?�� He barely had time to realise the man had a needle, let alone move out of the way. There was a struggle and the patients could be heard panicking in their cells. Unfortunately Arthur was not quick enough and the needle jabbed quickly into his arm. The man quickly jumped away and Arthur scrambled to his feet in shock. �What did you do!?� He yelled. �What was that?� He continued to yell at the worker but it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus and his vision kept blurring slightly. Arthur realised he had become incoherent and soon after blacked out, dropping to the floor. He woke up on a cold stone floor with a bad headache. He sat up, pushing himself up against the wall. Looking around he saw that he was in a cell. A cold, cement, cell. He used the wall to push himself up to a standing position and banged on the door. �Hello? Is anybody there?� The sound of his voice echoed through his small room. Nobody answered. He moved over to sit on a cot by the far wall. After a few minutes another worker, different from the one before, came in with a tray. �Excuse me.� Arthur said wondering what had happened. �It seems there�s been a mistake and�� He was cut short as the new orderly pinned him and stuck another needle into his arm. The man quickly left, leaving behind a plate of food�kind of. Normally being a patient man, Arthur hung his head and once again tried to figure out what was going on. He didn�t think about the new needle because there was nothing he could do to take it back. He would just have to explain his case more carefully next time. While he was thinking he noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. Looking, he found nothing. He stared back at the floor again until he noticed something even stranger. The floor was starting to melt together, twisting this way and that. He looked up to see the walls doing the same thing. The spirals of cement started to form shapes and figures. Monsters jumped at him from all around. Horrible grey fangs and claws, always getting closer, always just a few inches away from catching him. Screaming, he pounded on the door with both fists. He banged on the door repeatedly until he was too tired to try anymore. Sliding over to the cot he watched the figures go by. Two fish, A hungry-looking dragon, a bird. The colours started to change and the visions became friendlier seeming. A pink bunny, a purple giraffe. This didn�t wear off for several hours when the caretaker came back to bring more food. Maddened and crazed with confusion, Arthur forced his way out before the man was even half way in the room. Running down the hallway for his sanity and his freedom, Arthur remembered he could get out using his key if there were any locked doors. Luckily there were none. The guy was close behind. Sprinting down the hallways, he made a left and found himself at the lobby. The woman at the desk was gone but he could see the door. He made it all the way back to his car and drove, speeding, back to work where he composed a brief letter before leaving the office for good. Mr. Samsonry I have quite thoroughly seen the Calvin James Asylum and it is my belief that a new head director should be appointed. I found that they did not at all have an organized system and also did not regard the safety and concerns of patients attending and therefore, the building was found unfit for use. I have enclosed evidence of this with this letter. In addition I would like to resign from my position. Sincerely, Arthur Butler |