Sixty Three (OFF #4)

“Wait…what?”

“Sixteen.”

“In one month?”

“Yes.”

“Sixteen?….SIXTEEN?!”

“That’s what it says.”

“No, that can’t possibly be right.”

“That’s what it says.”

“No. Check again. Maybe you read it wrong.”

“I’m sure I read it correctly.”

“You don’t know. You’re not infallible.”

“I’ve been doing this every day for fifteen years. I know what I’m doing.”

“But…but…sixteen?”

“It’s not the worst I’ve seen.”

“But sixteen….that brings the total to like…..over sixty.”

“Sixty three, to be exact.”

“You don’t need to be exact.”

“I’m just telling you what I have written here.”

“Sixty three. That’s too much. That can’t possibly be right.”

“It’s right.”

“No, it’s not. I demand a recount.”

“Calm down.”

“Don’t give me that patronizing smile. You know sixty three is bad. You people are always talking about how a number like that is bad.”

“I don’t think you have any reason to be concerned.”

“Oh, so now you’re going to change your story? Suddenly sixty three is okay? Are you going to tell everyone else that? Are you going to change the literature? Change what’s in the books?”

“Perhaps you should sit down.”

“I don’t understand! I did everything right!”

“Sometimes this happens. It’s not your fault.”

“Everyone else will see it as my fault. I’m a failure. A FAILURE!”

“Now, let’s not get emotional about this.”

“Sixty three. And over a month to go!”

“Please don’t make a scene. It’s okay.”

“SIXTY THREE!”

“Lower your voice. You’re disturbing others.”

“I don’t care. They should know the truth. They should know how bad failure is. Isn’t that what you’ve wanted all along? To make an example of me? To show others what NOT to do?”

“You’re getting hostile.”

“Wait…I see it now. YOU did this to me. It’s a conspiracy.”

“I assure you, it’s not.”

“It is! CONSPIRACY!!!!”

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Author's note: Kudos if you can figure out what I'm writing about here. Sometimes my fiction is a little too close to reality....sigh.