Three Days of Happiness

25
the trash.
I took the maps the two clerks had drawn out of my pocket and
stared at them. It was certainly within walking distance.
It seemed like I was in fact going to go to this building and sell my
lifespan, time, or health.
I was being so stupid.
I rolled my eyes, balled up the maps, and threw them away.
---
But ultimately, I found myself in front of that building.
It was old. The walls were so darkened that it was impossible to
imagine the original color. Maybe even the building itself couldn’t
remember anymore.
It wasn’t very wide - I felt like it was being crushed between the
buildings on either side.
The elevator didn’t work, so I had to take the stairs to my
destination of the fourth floor. I sweat with each step I climbed,
taking in musty air, lit by yellowed fluorescent lights.
I certainly didn’t believe the story about selling your lifespan.
Rather, I considered the possibility that the two clerks were using
some kind of metaphor to allude to a lucrative job they couldn’t talk
about directly - like it was “at the risk of shortening your lifespan.”
There was nothing written on the door I found on the fourth floor.
But somehow, I was convinced this was the place they had been
talking about.