Missing Things - FIRST DRAFT

desks

Carl looked out the window next to his desk and watched the construction crew pour cement into the holes in the ground where a building used to be.

This wasn't where Carl used to sit back when the small grey-brick building with its interesting arches and porticos had still stood there.

When pandemic restrictions started being lifted, the company had enacted a policy where only one third of the employees could be in the office at any one time, and that they would need to be separated by enough space so that they wouldn't need to wear masks at their desks. To do this, everyone had to give up their desks and use whatever properly-distanced desk was available.

The company said this was a temporary measure.

The company said everyone would get their desks back once the restrictions were fully lifted.

But that never happened.

It was now a full year since the restrictions had been fully lifted, and still no one except the admin and IT staff had their own desks.

Everyone lived like nomads, reserving desks, carrying their belongings to and from the office in backpacks, sitting in a different place each time they came in so that no one knew where they would be or where anyone else was.

The company said things had to stay this way because there had been hirings over the pandemic and the office was no longer big enough to accommodate everyone.

But because of this, no one even ever came in anymore.

The only reason Carl was in was because his manager wanted everyone to be physically in the office once a week for their team meeting. But otherwise there was no reason for Carl to be there. None of his friends came in anymore. None of his favourite drinks were available anymore. And none of his things were on his desk anymore.

And his favourite restaurant that had been on the ground floor of the grey-brick building with the interesting arches and porticos wasn't there anymore either.