MANSTORY
For in the beginning there was nothing...then God created Adam
written and dreamt by: PMH

Send email to: DancingSatyr@excite.com

Work was becoming surreal for me, if that was even possible, and I was having a hard time concentrating. After what had happened the other night I had so much to think about and this cover of working as a graphic designer was starting to seem a little silly. My thoughts raced back to my sister and most of all to Paula. Always my thoughts came back to her and the way she was able to keep me going all night. It was amazing!
I was about to just give a shout to Graham and head home when Harriet walked in. I felt my heart race and my face flush and she looked at me strangely for a moment and I smiled uncomfortably. She seemed to be thinking about something, looking at me the way a stranger looks at you when they think they know you. Then she shook her head and said, "Don't forget we have a meeting in about half an hour."

"No, I haven't forgotten. Thanks for reminding me." I said, watching her walk out of the room. I was about to walk down to Graham's office when I heard shouting coming from another office. I walked down the hall and I could hear someone was being chewed out royal! A couple of other people had already poked heads out of offices and cubicles and were snickering.

"But Sir!..." pause and several moans then, "I tried to get it in on time. Things come up, people are trying...Yes! Well I know that sir! Of course! Yes! YES!" Then the phone hangs up and several people make like moles and poke heads back inside. I start to walk on and the door slams open almost hitting me in the face.

"Watch yourself Yank!" This well dressed twit yells at me and I smile in return, more out of spite than honest concern.

"Honestly! I don't know where they find you idiots! Now step aside!" and the well dressed twit storms off down the hall. Some may think I did something, but it's not my fault that some person left their trash can out in the hall. Several people tried very hard not to laugh aloud as he fell forward making enough noise for almost everyone to wake up and pay attention. Of course I laughed loudly as I pushed open the door to the bathroom, shutting out his yelling.

The bathroom was empty and I stood in front of the mirror looking at my face. Honestly things were not going well and I didn't have much time left. Now things were complicated by the appearance of this girl named Paula and by my inability to get into Harriet's life. I felt more alone now than I ever had. Perhaps I should just accept fate and let the course of events planned for me at birth just happen? Even that was unsure now as my sister and I had fought almost nonstop all day yesterday. She was becoming less and less understanding of my interest in Harriet and my reasons for being here. I could tell that she was only going to humor me for so much longer before she would play the "family" card. I must admit that I was impressed that she had put up with my stupid antics for as long as she had. I looked at my hung over face again and splashed water on it, trying to see if there was some way to bring some sense of control back into my life? When I came back up from the sink and looked in the mirror Harriet was standing right behind me! My heart nearly leapt into my throat! I turned quickly and Harriet was closer to me than I thought. Her face was right in mine and I was surprised by the fierce rage she was emitting.

"H...Hi Harriet. Hmmmm...Isn't this the Gent's?" I said stupidly. She looked at me seemingly more annoyed but I could detect another emotion behind her beautiful eyes, curiosity! Most blessed of all emotions and also the most dangerous.

"Listen, I don't know what the fuck this is?!" she said holding the dream stone right in front of my face, "and I don't know who you are, but I'm giving this damn thing back to you!"

"Why? What happened?" I asked curiously.

"Happened? Nothing happened. Just simply that it's...it's not me. I'm...I...I don't believe in superstitious charms and trinkets and plus I have everything I want. Take it and have a good day sir!" She said and left in a swish of sweet perfume.
Even angry and confused I found myself still dreaming of her. I looked down at the stone nervously. It's owner gone it started to take on a pale, gray appearance and I shoved it in my pocket.

The meeting began as all corporate meetings begin, some jackass pretending they know what the fuck is going on when in fact they are just as clueless as the rest of us. But very quickly it moved into why we had lost a several million dollar account! My friend, Mr. Trashcan man had, in fact, turned out to be head of marketing or some such shit and was determined to blame Harriet for the delay in sending important proposals to certain heads of certain blah, blah, blahs. Harriet fumed but sat there taking it like a princess and Mr. Trashman practically fell across the table shaking his fist at her. When he had finished Harriet tried to say, "But Sir, those proposals were in..."

"Are you calling me a liar?! Here!? In front of everyone?! Perhaps you and I should..."

"Sir?" I asked quietly but firmly.

"Yes? Who are you anyway?! What do you want?!" Trashman yelled. I looked down at the papers in front of him and pointed and asked, "Are those the papers that were supposed to have gone out? The ones in front of you?"

"Of course not! What kind of idiot talk is this? Plus it is of no concern of yours, young man! I suggest you..."

"Well, if they are the proposals (which I knew they were since I had put them there) then they are stamped three weeks ago."

"What?! Well?"

"Let me see those." said this large gray haired man to the right of Trashman. "He is right, stamped "completed August 24th 2000" and with a little 'Harriet' symbol below it, I think I've seen that little stamp before..yours Harriet?"

"Well, ummm...see sir, I...ummm..." Harriet stuttered looking completely confused.

"Sir, I know that stamp is there because I made it for Harriet. A little gift." I said, it not being completely and totally a lie. After all there was now, as of three seconds ago, a stamp that looks exactly like that one with an ink pad behind it, sitting on Harriet's desk. Harriet looked at me as if I was completely mental and I smiled. Trashman looked completely like he was going to bust a vein or something. I could tell Harriet was having a hard time not laughing at him. I also noticed some of the other people from the office looking from me to Harriet and back again.
The gray-haired man said, "Mr. Filgrit, I'll see you in my office in ten minutes, the rest of you, meeting is adjourned." and everyone piled out of the office. Trashman leered at Harriet and I and as Harriet started to walk out of the meeting, he grabbed her arm and said, "Look, I don't know how or why you put that idiotic stamp there but..."

With one fluid motion I stepped in between Harriet and Trashman and removed his hand from her arm and twisted it behind his back putting myself in front of him and pressing him against the wall.

"I would strongly suggest that you keep your hands and your comments to yourself Mr. Shitgrit! Unless, of course, you want to loose any chance in hell you have of keeping your job, not to mention your hand!"

"Are..are you threatening me?" Trashman asked nervously.

I released his hand and he started wringing his wrist making him look even more like a classic silent movie villain. Then his anger and bravado returned and he said, "You are the one who is about to loose a job, you little shit!"

"I don't think so, I think you need to remember what papers you tried to shred last week and then get the fuck out of my sight!" He looked at me nervously and then he started to snake out of the room and I stepped in front of him and he jumped.

"Not yet, I think you need to apologize to Harriet!"

"I don't think so! I've had just about enough..."

"Mr. Shitwit, does the date May 4th ring any bells? Now apologize!"

"Harriet, I'm dreadfully sorry for my behavior, it shant happen again."

"Not a problem Mr. Filgrit." Harriet said, trying to keep from laughing.

Later in my office I was packing my stuff and getting ready to leave. Even if Mr. Snitpit was fired, I would still only last here a few more days. I'm just not used to confined spaces and people who actually enjoy talking about Alli McBeal.
I set my box down and Harriet walked in and looked down at it and said, "Where...are you going some where?"

"Hi Harriet. Yeah, I'm outta here. I just don't think this is right for me." I was surprised when she shut the door and walked over to me. I looked at her nervously and she came closer, her eyes on the floor. Then she looked up at me and said, "I'm not sure what happened today, but...thank you."

"Oh, that was nothing. Shitbit had it coming to him, he was an easy target." I said nervously. Harriet stepped closer and I tried to be brave, she was so beautiful, I could smell her perfume and I could almost taste her lips on mine. She looked at me and said, "Do you want to know what I dreamt?"

"S...Sure...If you want to tell me." I said softly, breathing in her scent. With her face close now, only a few inches from mine she looked me up and down, as if trying to decide something. I stepped back, trying to give myself some room to breath, to think, and she stepped with me, her body close to mine and her eyes were alive.

"I was in my room and there was a small fire, in a fireplace that I don't have. Two glasses of wine were beside the fire and my lover lay beside me on the bed, sleeping and happy. I looked into her face and smiled and then I looked back and there was a panther on the carpet and I was afraid. I tried to pull my clothes about me but I was nude and a wind blew through an open window. The panther snarled at me as if to say, 'Don't move or I'll kill you'."

"Wow! Sounds intense!" I said stupidly.

"In my mind I wanted to touch the panther, it was so beautiful and so dangerous, but I knew if I moved it would kill me. Then you spoke from the other side of the room and told me that I should touch it, that it would be ok." As she said this, her face came closer to mine and I felt myself start to respond to her closeness and her warmth. "I looked at you and you seemed cloaked in darkness, as if you were part of the darkness but I wasn't sure and then...then I noticed that you were nude as well."

"Oh..oh really?"

"But instead of regular skin, you had a velvet coat of hair, like the panther."

"Well I do have a hairy chest" I said trying to make a joke and lighten things up. She ignored me and continued, "Like a animal. You moved over to the panther and it turned on it's back and purred as you stroked it's fur. As you knelt down you were normal, no fur, no animal, but you were still nude and I watched as you rolled around with the panther, like she and you were raised together, you know? Connected."

"She? Ummm...Harriet I think we should..."

"I walked over, looking back at the bed but I couldn't see anything, my lover was gone. The room was impossibly dark but I could hear insects as if we were outside, then the fireplace wasn't a fireplace, it was a campfire. The panther was gone and you were on the other side of the fire. You said something to me. Do you know what you said to me?"

I looked at her eyes, she was eager, she wanted me to say what I had said in the dream but I knew that if I did...instead I said, "Harriet, let me take you out tonight?" Harriet stomped in frustration and I could see that much more happened in the dream other than just me saying something. Then she looked at me and I could tell the enchantment was gone.

"GOD! I should have known that it was just a stupid dream. You aren't even my type anyway! I can't stand Leonardo wimp boys! UGH! I've been out with much better looking." and then she started to storm out of the room. I called out, "Harriet, wait! I have a trick I want to show you." and I held out my hands, fists closed tight.

"In my hands I hold two objects, pick a hand."

"Listen, I don't have time for silly games! And you aren't impressing me, I'm in a difficult point in my life. It's not like you are going to make me want you, I'm not ready for a relationship with anyone." but she didn't move, she looked at my hands curiously.

"Come on! Just pick one, what have you got to lose?" I said laughing.

She picked my right hand and I opened it and a folded up piece of paper was crumpled in my hand.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Just open it and read. I think you'll like it."

She opened the paper and then she dropped her hand, and her jaw dropped wider and she said, "How?! Why? Oh my GOD!"

"Go out with me tonight?" I asked again.

"So it was you in my dream last night? You did say that! How did you get it written down on paper, what are you?"

"Tonight?" I asked again smiling. She grinned at me suspiciously and I could detect a slight interest, very slight but there none the less. Then she said, "Ooookk, but you better tell me how you did that!"

"Don't you want to know what's in the other hand?" I asked grinning knowingly.

"I don't know, I'm a bit afraid." She said nervously. I slowly opened my hand and her eyes lit up and she smiled and blushed slightly. She picked up the dream stone from my palm and held it in front of her. "What is this?"

"It's a lot of things, and in anyone's hands but yours, it's nothing. But mostly you can think of it as a key" I said and then I pushed past her with my little bag of stuff. As I walked away I turned and said, "Don't forget tonight, I'll come pick you up at 8, ok?"

"Don't you need to know where I live?" She asked.

"No, I know."

As I walked away I heard her mumble, "Oh great, now I have a date with a stalker." I just smiled and shook my head and kept walking. Glad to finally be free of corporate scum forever.