The Lower Branches

It's another one of those B-movie sets, obscure background in nondescript buildings. A series of rooms. We go into one. We occupy it. We are hired, our team, and we're taking over, but from whom is not part of our indoctrination.

It's a room like the others. We enter, my mentor and I. She is older, sadder, and she says, "You should cut the lower branches on the bushes along the walk." I don't know what we are doing here. I'm the newest member of the team.

I walk. She walks away. I look at the bushes along the walk. It seems such a senseless job. And what will all these others do? Nobody tells. We all just walk into rooms and without even looking around at desks and chairs we walk out again. Is this it?

And then one of the rooms I walk into has her in it. My old mentor. She is sitting now. Looks up, ever so sad. "We're fired," she says. Just like that.