Big Corp Inc. (G/T)

Part 3: First Day

Candy left for her new job early the next morning, so she would have plenty of time to commute. Like before, the railway station was deserted. She boarded one of the high-tech railcars and sat in a seat within as it sped along. She was nervous, but appreciated the novelty of the remarkably oversized scenery. She had to admit, seeing such large beings so similar to humans was fascinating and astounding, if not outright petrifying.

All too soon, the railcar reached her stop, outside the gigantic Big Corp building. Candy exited the car, into the fresh morning air, and gazed nervously at the pathway that cut through the vast sidewalk. The foot traffic for the Giants was busier with all the morning commuters, causing earthquakes and making the crossing all the more intimidating.

Candy knew she had to be brave, so she buried her fears and forced her body to move forward. She couldn't run in her high-heeled shoes, so she hobbled forward clumsily with all the haste she could muster, blocking out the immense behemoths stepping over her, until she reached the other side.

She only had a brief second to catch her breath before she had to move out of the way of the colossal sliding doors as Giants clomped through them. She scurried inside and clung to the inner wall, finding her familiar safe spot behind the potted tree. The building within did not have designated lanes for humans to safely walk, so she was aware she needed to be extremely careful.

Candy wanted to find the human elevator that Bianca had mentioned, but she didn't know where to even begin looking. The lobby was massive; it would take her hours to search the space. While she scanned the room with her eyes, she made her way over to the Giant elevator, hugging the wall the entire time. When she reached it, she had to duck out of the way as the monstrous metal doors opened and a stampede of shoes the size of large cars threatened to trample her.

Heart pounding, she raced inside before the doors shut, avoiding the Giants entering the elevator at the same time. She squeezed into the corner and prayed nobody would notice her. Fortunately, her wish came true, as none of the Giants towering hundreds of feet above her bothered to look down. Candy was so petrified that she forgot to get off when the elevator opened on the third floor. The elevator went all the way up to the fifth floor, then the sixth floor, and Candy found herself alone and trapped as the remaining Giants disembarked, with the doors closing shut after them.

She didn't know what to do. For a minute, she was stuck inside the huge metal box. She had no hope of pressing the buttons herself so she had to wait, with only the insipid elevator music for company, until the elevator started to move back down on its own. It stopped on the fourth floor and a Giant came in, pressing the button for the first floor. She considered simply asking the Giant to press the button for her, but she couldn't muster up the courage to say anything. The elevator descended and picked up more passengers, but to her dismay none of them stopped on the third floor. She found herself alone again for several minutes.

Candy started to sweat. She was grateful that she had the foresight to leave early, so she wasn't late for work yet, but if she continued to have bad luck she might be stuck in the elevator all day. To her relief, the elevator finally began to move again. She wouldn't allow herself to be cowed into silence this time—at least, that's what she assured herself. Her stomach was twisting up into knots at the thought of what she'd have to do.

The elevator halted on the first floor, and the doors opened to permit ingress of another massive Giant. Candy gulped and craned her neck back to look up. To her surprise, she recognized the Giant as Mr. Hardon, her new boss. She gave a startled cough and he glanced down. His eyebrows raised and he smiled with delight.

"Candy!" he exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you here! Why didn't you take the human elevator?" He bent down and snatched her up in his hand. Candy protested with a shrill cry. He ignored her and settled her into his open palm. She didn't think she'd ever get used to being grabbed in such an invasive manner.