The Job Evaluation

Golden sunlight flooded the southern-facing wall of windows in stark contrast to the north side of the building. Here, the office brooded in darkness except for the tiny, red-stained clerestory windows far up on the forty-foot wall bleeding reds over the hardwood floor. Although offices cluttered both the north and south sides of the warehouse, a series of cubicles ran down the middle, not quite on the light or the dark side. This is where Melanie worked. Her short brown hair curled behind her ear, which revealed small earrings with three tarnished silver chains that swayed as she moved.  

It was her first week in accounting. The day they hired her they explained that accounting started in the middle and then ran into the light or the dark side. ‘And we’ll see where your talents lie before we move you into a permanent location,’ Amy, the assistant director had told her. A shiver ran down Melanie’s back. This is what she wanted, a new beginning: but her excitement cankered by the feeling that someone spied on her.

She hustled to the conference room for the weekly meeting. There, sat Minx like a stone statue, eight feet tall, goat slit green eyes, leathery wings. She sank into a chair opposite him and peeked around at the dozen people, and she used the term loosely, who sat around the table.

Minx ignored everyone as he drummed his nails on the table. He despised meetings. If it weren’t for the soul contract that his boss had on him, he would have stormed out of the meeting and maybe eaten the new employee. He’d only seen her once, the day she was hired. So, he decided to have a little fun, leaned over and winked at her. He chuckled when her eyes widened and then watched as she peeked to either side to confirm Minx really noticed her. He expected her to react like a cornered rabbit.  But the new employee stared him squarely in the eye and winked back. Startled, Minx turned his attention to Amy, the assistant director, who sat at the head of the table in a pristine suit of black wool, her fairy ears exposed by the tight blond ponytail. She talked about last week’s appearance of dark dust in various cubicles in the accounting division.  She explained how the dust morphed into energy forces and how to watch for certain characteristics of the force so they would know how to respond when the dark dust formed. Minx glanced back at the new employee, at Melanie, who studied him unguardedly. He already knew what the dark dust would become. 

In her nervousness, Melanie bit her lip as the meeting ended; a small spot of blood seeped out of the slight wound. She decided that the gargoyle might know something, so she hopped from her chair and tapped him on the shoulder before he could scoot out of the meeting. “Excuse me,” Melanie stepped back as the gargoyle swung around to glare down at her. He growled low in his throat. 

 “Um, sorry, but may I speak with you for a moment?” Melanie indicated chairs at the conference table.

Minx growled again, but the human kept pointing to the chair.  How interesting, Minx thought. He bent down to push his face right in front of hers and slowly opened his mouth to reveal a row of mottled gray, granite teeth, sharp like incisors. “You sure?” he grumbled.

“Yes, quite.” Melanie tiptoed to the chair, sat down and pulled her skirt below her knees. “If you don’t mind?” She looked a question at him.

Minx grumbled again but sat facing her as he tapped his claw tips on the table. “Yes.”

“I don’t mean to trouble you, me being new and all,” Melanie crossed her legs at the ankles and leaned forward, “but you seem to know something about this dark dust, I mean you looked a certain way when Amy talked about it, and I think you might be able to help me figure out what to do, cause you see, it seems to be all around my floor under my work table.” Melanie barely breathed during this recitation and slowly inhaled.

Minx focused on the small dribble of blood on her lip; his mouth salivated. “Hmm.” He studied her for a moment. “Let’s have a look.” As he rose, he touched his fingertip to her lip, “You’re bleeding.” He mumbled to himself, “How delightful.”

Minx ducked his head so he could fit through the conference room door and lumbered to the accounting cubicles in the middle of the warehouse. Melanie raced beside his long stride. When they reached her cubicle, Minx kneeled placing one elbow on his left knee and studied the dark dust swirling underneath her desk.

As he examined the dust, Melanie inspected Minx who, in this posture, looked made of stone, all still and silent. A compulsion to touch his skin on the back near his leathery wings overcame her. She reached out her hand ever so slightly. Before she could touch, Minx turned and glowered.

“The dark dust is forming,” he pointed a clawed nail at the ground. “See here, you can see the tail and here the eyes.” His wings fanned out. “The eye on this side of the creature is quite formed.”

Melanie shifted her weight from one leg to the other.  “An eye?” Her lips trembled as she spoke.

 “An eye,” Minx glared at Melanie. “He’s been watching you.”

Melanie plopped down on her chair shoving it away from the desk and the dark dust underneath. “Why would it be keeping an eye on me?”

Minx turned his head toward Melanie. “Interesting question. I would have thought you’d ask what it is or if it’s dangerous or so many other possible questions that come to mind.” He pondered as his wings gently flapped.

Minx seated himself beside her. He tapped his nail on the desk as he watched the dark dust swivel around to gain a better view of Melanie. Minx leaned toward her. “What do you think it is?”

Melanie shifted her eyes left and right to note who was listening. “Well,” she whispered into Minx’s pointed ear, “I think it’s the head of accounting.”