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Oct. 20th, 2007 03:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bookish_dragonWriting exercise for 19th October 2007.
Liz looked at the book lying on the table in front of her. Frankly, it didn’t look like much. The cover was drab and uninteresting, the title was unreadable. She lifted the cover with one finger. No publisher’s information either. How did her manager come up with these finds? He’d probably slept with the writer. Then he foisted the books off on her for a review that would never make it further than the trash bin in his office. Why did she even bother anymore?
There was no money in this job, not anymore. Her tastes had gotten more expensive over the years, and the meagre salary given to her for reviews that never saw print was not sufficient anymore. She wept the book from the table and unfolded the plans of the office. Several years working there meant that she had learned where the safe was, and its combination. The contents were not astronomically high, but it did hold one or two manuscripts that might make money, if she filed off the serial numbers. Don, the manager, didn’t know that she knew about them. And who would sue for the stealing of their work? That would mean telling that they’d sold their body to somebody who’d claimed that he could publish their book. For a few moments more she studied the by now memorised plans, rolled them up and got out of her chair. Time to get to work.
She hadn’t even left the flat she was living in when she ran into Don. “Hello,” she managed to bring out. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “Just a social call. Where are you off to?”
“Oh, you know, nowhere in particular. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She set off down the street. He followed.
“What a coincidence. Just where I was going. I’ll walk you there.” They walked in silence for a bit, until he said “Did you know I have been in prison?” He smirked at the shocked look on her face.
”No, I didn’t. Why are you telling me?”
“Used to be in for breaking and entering. I must say that it does give me insight into people. Especially those who seem intent on going down that road themselves.”
She made sure her face was unreadable. “What do you mean?” ‘How did he find out? I’ve been so careful!’ her mind was screaming at her.
He grinned again. “Insight, dear girl.” He laughed at her indignant face. “It takes one to know one, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that you have been planning some kind of theft for the past couple of weeks. The way you have been eying the safe, and the questions you’ve been asking the security-personnel. Dear girl, I know what you’ve been planning. If you do plan on going ahead with this, remember that I moved everything that might be valuable weeks ago. Have a nice day.” He left her standing on the pavement, her face slack.
Liz looked at the book lying on the table in front of her. Frankly, it didn’t look like much. The cover was drab and uninteresting, the title was unreadable. She lifted the cover with one finger. No publisher’s information either. How did her manager come up with these finds? He’d probably slept with the writer. Then he foisted the books off on her for a review that would never make it further than the trash bin in his office. Why did she even bother anymore?
There was no money in this job, not anymore. Her tastes had gotten more expensive over the years, and the meagre salary given to her for reviews that never saw print was not sufficient anymore. She wept the book from the table and unfolded the plans of the office. Several years working there meant that she had learned where the safe was, and its combination. The contents were not astronomically high, but it did hold one or two manuscripts that might make money, if she filed off the serial numbers. Don, the manager, didn’t know that she knew about them. And who would sue for the stealing of their work? That would mean telling that they’d sold their body to somebody who’d claimed that he could publish their book. For a few moments more she studied the by now memorised plans, rolled them up and got out of her chair. Time to get to work.
She hadn’t even left the flat she was living in when she ran into Don. “Hello,” she managed to bring out. “What are you doing here?”
He grinned. “Just a social call. Where are you off to?”
“Oh, you know, nowhere in particular. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She set off down the street. He followed.
“What a coincidence. Just where I was going. I’ll walk you there.” They walked in silence for a bit, until he said “Did you know I have been in prison?” He smirked at the shocked look on her face.
”No, I didn’t. Why are you telling me?”
“Used to be in for breaking and entering. I must say that it does give me insight into people. Especially those who seem intent on going down that road themselves.”
She made sure her face was unreadable. “What do you mean?” ‘How did he find out? I’ve been so careful!’ her mind was screaming at her.
He grinned again. “Insight, dear girl.” He laughed at her indignant face. “It takes one to know one, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that you have been planning some kind of theft for the past couple of weeks. The way you have been eying the safe, and the questions you’ve been asking the security-personnel. Dear girl, I know what you’ve been planning. If you do plan on going ahead with this, remember that I moved everything that might be valuable weeks ago. Have a nice day.” He left her standing on the pavement, her face slack.
