Today’s story:
“In the Image and Likeness”
by Aleta Johansen
We always get a warning from the Main Doors as soon as she enters the building. Today when the message came there was quite a party going on.
Whenever dirty dishes are left in the Sink things tend to get out of hand. Being dirty seems to give them the idea that they should behave in a bawdy manner. Between the prudes in the China Cabinet suggesting that this sort of behavior is highly inappropriate and the toiletries in the bathroom trying their darnedest to get in on the action things can get pretty chaotic.
Fortunately for me she does not leave dirty dishes in the Sink often, once or twice a week at most.
It is my job to make sure that everyone is quiet and settled when she puts her key in my lock and enters her home. On the quiet days – the days when there are no dirty dishes – it is easy to get everyone ready for her arrival. On days like today, though, we can end up cutting it pretty close.
I can’t imagine how hard it is for the first floor apartments. Maybe they have some sort of arrangement with the Sidewalk or the Corner Mailbox to give them an early warning. I am not at all sure I could rein everyone in before her arrival if we were any closer to the building entrance.
Once she arrives it’s the big guys who really keep everyone in line. The Floor has the most authority simply as a function of her ability to hold everything up. The walls come in a close second, of course.
For the most part everyone wants to do their job well. We take care of the humans and they take care of us. Symbiosis. On the whole one human is pretty much like all the rest. Most of them like to keep us happy and most of us like to keep them happy…
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