The Phoenix, 2022

Bewildering Building by Jonnie Bouker As I approach a bleak looking 10 story tall building I feel my nerves beginning to build. At the front entrance I take a deep breath and assure myself everything will be fine. I enter the building, towing a large cart holding a substantial amount of white boxes. I walk through another doorway into the lobby. I look to my left and notice a woman sitting in a wheelchair with no legs, happily talking with one of her neighbors.

I think to myself “I’ve never seen a woman with no legs”. I now see this as sort of the first instance of surprise I felt within this building. After one last glance at the woman I proceeded on to a side room with an elevator located on the right side. After gathering nine white boxes I advance towards the elevator. I push the button, I hear the faint crackle as the electricity flows to summon the elevator. When the elevator arrives I step inside and a feeling of unease floods my body as if the elevator is not as safe as it should be. I brushed this feeling aside and I arrived at the third floor, our assigned destination.

I step outside of the elevator and take a left down a long and inauspicious hallway. I see the first door to our left, I knock. No response.

Knock again. No response. As I turn to walk away, the door creaks open, the harsh scent of cigarette smoke penetrates my nostrils. A man, coincidentally also in a wheelchair, sits in the doorway. I give him his box and wish him a good day. On to the next door. As I approach the door, I notice half of the hinges aren’t attached to the wall and there is a chunk of wood missing from the door itself. I go to knock on the door but it swings open before my knuckles even reach it. Before me is a man wearing nothing but an apron standing in the doorway. I hand him his box and walk away pondering what I had just seen. First the legless woman and now a man wearing an apron as a dress.

I move on to the next few doors delivering the boxes to everyone.

Nothing out of the ordinary happens until I pass a room with someone standing inside, who appears to be cleaning it out. I take a closer look inside and see nothing inside the room beside the man and three empty shopping carts. Bewildered, I continue down the hall towards the elevator. I give out our last box to whom it belongs and then walk to the elevator. I ride the elevator back down to the lobby where I am supposed to rendezvous with the rest of the people.

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