chapter 1: the stairs

I panted with the force of a gale wind as I reached the top of the rusted, musty flight of stairs that led to my office at the top of the Wundraworks Company Building, bending over as my hands found my kneecaps and rested.

If you couldn’t tell, I wasn’t the pinnacle of human exercise, yet I most certainly wasn’t the roundest man in my office by far either, as for some reason men would “Disappear” and return morbidly obese, an unsolved mystery that victims seemed unable to comment on. However, this anomaly hadn’t occurred since I had arrived, which I found as a relief. Holding my image wasn’t that important to me, yet still... My red, rounded cheeks heaved in and out in rhythm with my slightly puffy chest and doubled over, my sweat doused shirt revealed a relatively unnoticeable, yet unflattering roll of pudge.

I’d been working at Wundraworks for over a year now, and by far my least favorite part was the laborious trip I’d take up and down the aforementioned staircase every single day. The company perpetually had a sign posted at a shaft beside it, promising a new elevator that was going to be installed. You wouldn’t have to be a genius if you were to predict the fact that that promise hasn’t been fulfilled. At least not yet...

Walking into my office, I attempted to ignore the burn in my heart from the involuntary workout the stairs had just presented me with. Justin looked up from his monitor, his log-like arm flapping as he waved and said: “How are you, Max?” I replied in a blur while glancing at the generous slice of Strawberry-Choc cake laying on a dented Tupperware container. I tried my hardest to stop my mouth from watering as I left the side of his desk and began to work my way over to my allocated seat, winding through the maze of tight shirts and double-chins. My parents were keeping me on a strict diet, not liking my lack of fitness, and every day I was subject to the cruel cravings the treats on my colleague’s desks posed.
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After a grueling day of spreadsheets and emails, I finally rose from my desk. It was dark out, the crescent moon shining through the floor to ceiling windows that surrounded the top floor office and giving the stuffy workplace an air of mystery. I brushed past Ahmed, who nodded in farewell, causing his many chins to wobble in succession, and I noticed the huge double-decker sandwich laying on his desk, half-eaten. Mayo smeared down his chins showed that I had interrupted him, so I muttered an apology and moved on.

Coming out into the momentary respite of fresh air from the vent in the foyer, I stepped towards the stairs before doing a double-take. The elevator shaft was no longer empty. A glimmering, aluminum elevator stood sentry in its place. I gasped.