As the sun began to fade, dipping below the horizon, Sarah tucked her sock-clad feet beneath her and huddled into the comfy sofa. She sighed before lifting her gaze to meet the writer's curious eyes.
The evenings were the only time she felt more herself and the only time she was allowed to speak with visitors. In fact, she'd never had one until a few days ago when the head nurse informed her of Nigel Keane, an upcoming author, who requested to interview her.
Her story had shocked the world, that was, for those who read the few papers that reported it despite the threats of lawsuits. Then her nephew, her only living relative, put her in this nursing home and vanished three years ago. He never called or visited.
She attempted a smile but her face felt tight, an exercise she had not done in a long while.
“I won't rush you, Ms Pope,” the young writer said, softly. “If this evening is not comfortable for you, I can return another time.”
Sarah shook her head. “It's…. it's okay. Let's do this.” She took a sip of the warm water beside her, cleared her throat and began her chilling story.
She was fresh out of college, summa cum laude, bright and eager to explore the corporate world. After interviewing with several top Wall Street firms, Orwin & Beagle was the only one to offer her a position with a generous starting salary.
She was happy and proud that one of the most prestigious firms would want her. Every morning, she would straighten her collar by the brass plaque close to the entrance that read: Integrity Above All.
Slowly, she began to notice their work ethics were different from what she'd been taught. Her colleagues and superiors were like sharks at every client meeting but sweet as doves outside the office building. Their image was stellar in the corporate world, everyone wanted Orwin & Beagle to handle their business.
The atmosphere at the firm changed when she raised concerns about how a client's business was handled. The firm had billed far beyond what the services justified.
It seemed the clocks ticked out of rhythm as her immediate superior glanced at her. The woman asked, “Have you heard about the chimpanzee in the office?”
Sarah thought it was a joke but nervously searched her office and the floor after everyone had closed for the day. She found nothing…but heard whispers.
In the weeks that followed, she got less files, mostly ones that interns could do. Her superiors stopped letting her into client meetings with them.
Her sleepless nights started when she recorded her conversation with her superiors about discrepancies in a client's billing. When she played it back, it contained only static, occasional background sound and strangely, a hissing sound. Then she noticed muddy handprints on the ceiling while the cleaners say it was spotless.
One Friday, when she stayed after everyone left, she noticed a figure crouched atop the filing cabinet, breathing heavily on her. Her breath caught, the hairs on her neck and arms standing straight.
The figure dropped to the floor, the shape like a chimpanzee but it wore her face and had her employee ID hanging from its neck.
Her silent whimpers at the unnatural sight gave way to a shriek as she slid to the floor and passed out.
That was her last day at Orwin & Beagle.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece. It's inspired by the Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase "chimpanzee in the office".
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