Training Shift

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Welcome to //Training Shift//, a micro interactive fiction. ] As you read through this story, you will be offered a choice at the end of each page. Selecting a choice will move the story forward to another page, and so on, until you reach the end. You may move back to a previous page at any time by clicking the arrow in the upper left corner. However, for the best reading experience, you are encouraged to move only forward through the story. The final page includes a link back to the title page, which will allow you to restart the narrative and experience an alternate version of the story. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[[BEGIN]] (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Copyright 2024. Loghan Paylor. All rights reserved. This project was generously funded by the Fraser Valley Writers Festival.]

The mall is enormous. No one quite knows how large it is - surveying teams sent into the lower levels tend not to return. The coffee shop is on the second floor mezzanine, behind a wall of windows that look out onto the concourse. The glass ceiling rises far overhead. You feel dizzy just looking up. [[Enter the coffee shop->Enter the coffee shop]] [[Look around]]

Across the concourse is an arcade, the kind that holds children’s birthday parties and serves fried foods of mysterious origins. The sounds of bowling balls hurtling down wooden lanes and off-key muzak punctuated with beeps and dings slip tantalisingly through the doorway. Above it is a neon sign in a curling twist of letters. [[Enter the coffee shop]]

Lamplight flickers on the hunter green walls, turning the faux-leather chairs a warm bronze colour. Inviting. Comfortable. You could linger here, avoid the outside world and all its cold, fluorescent reality. This place understands your secret dreams. You could write a screenplay here, a really good one. Maybe on your break? [[Start your shift]]

You arrived wearing your company-mandated cravat and QR code name tag. Customers appreciate being able to know important, humanising details about their baristas, such as your blood type and favourite childhood memory. The required copper penny in your left shoe digs into your heel as you begin pulling your first espresso shot of the day. [[Work]]

A courier comes through the door. They are holding a package, a bubble wrap mailer from the public postal service. “Excuse me, can you help me?” “Of course,” you say, as you must. It’s in the handbook. “I’m supposed to drop this off but I can’t find the store.” They gesture vaguely at the rest of the mall, outside the windows. “Do you know where S & D Dry Cleaners is?" “One moment, please,” you say and take out your phone and pull up the maps app. You know the one, the one we all use. The one that tracks us everywhere. You tap the search bar and cue up the keyboard - except all the letters are replaced with emojis. Strange emojis you’ve never seen before. You feel queasy looking at these Eldritch symbols. [[Type anyway]] [[Put your phone away]]

You try to type from muscle memory - left side middle one in, space, left side middle three in - but your stomach heaves and a headache blooms behind your eyes. These symbols are not meant to be read by you. [[Put your phone away->Put your phone away]]

“I’m sorry,” you say, “My phone doesn’t seem to be working. Perhaps you could try next door?” The courier looks worried, but resigned and retreats out the door. You forget to ask if they would like to try our seasonal blend of caffeine yoghurt lassi made with black pepper berries. “Can I borrow your phone?” you ask your coworker. “Mine isn’t working.” She smiles sagely. “Oh no, that’s just Management. They don’t like us to use our phones during our shifts. It’s in the handbook.” “But, how…?” She pats your elbow. “I find I actually appreciate it now. Don’t even really use it at home anymore either. They really helped me break out of my screen addiction. I’m very grateful.” [[Check the handbook]] [[Pull out your phone again]]

The employee handbook is small, only the width of your palm, designed to be stored in your apron pocket just over your heart any time it isn't being consulted. It weighs exactly as much as a median latte with foam, and the pages are off-white, with the slightly burred texture of watercolour paper. Under Electronics - Communications - Personal, you read //(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[For your safety, all digital devices are warded against external interference during company time. Valued Friends are encouraged not use Personal Digital Communications while On Shift, as Management will interpret any use thereof as sacrilege.]// [[Pull out your phone again]]

The screen is black. A single, unblinking eye stares back at you. Wouldn't it feel good to wipe down the oven? [[It would feel good to wipe down the oven]] [[I'm supposed to be on cash]]

The oven shines with reassuring cleanliness. You have done a Good Job. [[Keep Working]]

You are contemplating how the handbook has instructed you to think of the cafe as a Third Space, when the door opens. A woman and a boy enter. They are each holding a donut: big, fluffy donuts with icing so shiny it catches the lamplight. Your mouth waters. How long has it been since your break? How long has it been since you last ate? “There’s a donut shop here?” You exclaim to your shift manager. “Yes,” they say, ticking another box on a clipboard. “That’s gonna be dangerous for me,” you say, eyeing the apple fritter in the child’s hand. “Yes,” the shift manager says. “They are.” The woman and the boy stand at the counter and look at the menu behind your shoulder. They do not respond to your perfectly pitched greeting option number five. “What can I begin preparing for you fine people?” The donuts look even more delicious up close. The sprinkles are more vibrant than any dyed sugar you’re seen before. A flake of icing falls to the counter top. You resist the urge to lick it up. “Do you have any more of the autumnal scented milk alternative?” the woman asks. The handbook forbids you to say no. You must never say no to anyone on the opposite side of the counter. You may, however, say, “I’m not sure. Let me check in the back.” You walk to the door at the far left of the counter, past the sink and the refrigerator and the mop closet. The door is cold to the touch. It opens at your fingertips. [[Step through the door.]] [[Turn away.]]

There is a door behind you, locked and uninteresting. A moment ago, you could have sworn…it was vast, deep. You heard a sound so incredible, it all clicked and you understood. You understood… Oh, it’s on the tip of your tongue, like a dream evaporating in the morning light. You return to the counter. The two donuts sit on the countertop, beside the register, the smell of cinnamon wafting towards you. It’s been so long since your break. [[Take the apple fritter.]] [[Take the rainbow sprinkle donut.]]

The door swings shut behind you. The refrigerator hums just to your right. the sink splashing as your coworker washes the blender. What were you doing just now? You came over here for a reason. You return to the counter. The two donuts sit on the countertop, beside the register, the smell of cinnamon wafting towards you. It’s been so long since your break. [[Take the apple fritter.]] [[Take the rainbow sprinkle donut.]]

Your shift manager shoves you aside. They are wearing oven mitts and wielding a set of toaster tongs. They slide open the pastry case and carefully place both donuts on the display shelf between the non-egg breakfast stacks and the grain-vegetable-energy-cakes. “That’s…that can’t be food safe,” you say. Your manager gestures to the door with the tongs. “The customer assumes all risks upon entry.” You follow the tongs, and there, carved into the glass in spiky, jagged capitals: (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[//By crossing this threshold, customers knowingly and voluntarily assume all risk. - the Management//] [[Work longer]]

“Stop!” your coworker grabs your elbow, just before your fingertips touch the icing. “You cannot eat the donuts.” “I wasn’t going to,” you lie. “I was just going to give them back to - " The woman and the boy are gone. “You cannot eat the donuts,” she says again. You glance back at the pastries. They look delicious, almost too perfect, with the deep, red shine of a poisoned apple. You coworker knocks both donuts into a garbage can with her gloved hands. The smell of cinnmon and sugar lingers in the air. [[Work longer]]

When you next look up from your tasks, everything outside the cafe is very dark, save for the lights of the arcade across the concourse. Neon, flickering. You still can’t quite make out what the vertical sign spells. No light, not even from the glass ceiling above. You would need a flashlight to see your way through this deep dark. “Shouldn’t we be closing soon? Everyone else is closed,” you say. Your colleague shakes her head silently and points with her chin towards the sign on the door. It reads (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[//Open: 5am Close: 7:34 pm exactly. No exceptions.//] [[Look out into the deep dark]]

The neglected oven remains uncleaned on the back wall. You feel its reproachful eyes on the back of your neck as you log back into the till. [[Keep Working]]

A figure materialises out of the darkness, passing through the glass doors and into the cafe. Your colleagues all pause for a moment, eyes fixed on the door. Then they immediately return to their tasks, their focused inattention to the figure all the more obvious for their silence. Everything about this figure is perfect, from the approachable, light-blue collared shirt with two buttons undone, to the crisp break in the dark linen pants over a pair of expensive yet understated athletic shoes. It carries no briefcase, no bag, no tablet. Not even a phone in a pocket to interrupt the line of the outfit. "Hello team," it says, beaming. "I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd just pop in, see how our newest Valued Friend is coming along. " Behind it, the darkness deepens. [["Greetings! You may entrust your wellbeing and comfort to us"]] [[Smile hesitantly]]

The figure turns in your direction and smiles. "Ah, yes, Valued Friend. How are you getting along so far on your training shifts? Learning, absorbing and enjoying yourself, I hope?" [[Yes, I am learning so much.]] [[I have some questions...]]

The figure chuckles. "Excellent, excellent. Glad to see you're fitting in so well. As the handbook says, a place for everything and everything in its place." It leans casually on the counter, absently running a finger along the edge. "Now, tell me about your shift. You can be honest with me, truly." [[Tell it about the dangerous donuts]] [[Tell it about the lost courier]] [[Tell it about the mysterious door]] [[Smile and assure it everything has gone perfectly]]

The figure holds up a hand. "All will be answered in due time. As the handbook says, a place for everything and everything in its place." It leans casually on the counter, absently running a finger along the edge. "Now, tell me about your shift. You can be honest with me, truly." [[Tell it about the dangerous donuts]] [[Tell it about the lost courier]] [[Tell it about the mysterious door]] [[Smile and assure it everything has gone perfectly]]

"You were wise to listen to your colleagues. Not everything beyond those glass walls cares for you the way we do." It pauses, reflecting. "You didn't try to eat a donut, did you?" [[Avoid its gaze]] [[Look guilty]]

The figure flicks an invisible speck of lint from its shirt. "An unfortunate, but not uncommon occurrence at this location, I'm afraid. You didn't use your phone did you?" [[Shake your head]] [[Shuffle your feet awkwardly]]

The figure's eyes flick to the door behind the counter. "I commend you for your comittment to our guests' satisfaction. Did you actually enter the back room?" [[Admit that you didn't]] [[Admit that you don't remember]]

The figure smiles in return, its teeth neat and perfect. "I am so pleased to hear it. We really do think of ourselves as one extended family here, and if one member is unhappy or unsatisfied in their duties, well..." It raises a finger and lightly taps the counter in emphasis. "We can't have that." [[Swallow nervously]] [[Nod]]

The figure straightens and leans to open the pastry case. "Just remember, Management is always here. If there is anything you need or any question you have, speak to your colleagues. They will never steer you wrong." After a moment of indecision, it selects an almond-cloud-cheesecake-pyramid, and returns to the door. "See you soon." The figure takes a bite of the cheesecake, and steps out onto the darkened mezazzine. A moment later, it has vanished. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[[THE END]]

The figure's stare is unnerving. "For now, we encourage you to delegate any strenuous interactions to your shift manager. As you further embrace the handbook and our Third Place Philosophy, you will feel more empowered to make the right decision in those situations." "Was there anything else?" [[Tell it about the dangerous donuts]] [[Tell it about the mysterious door]] [[Smile and assure it everything else has gone perfectly->Smile and assure it everything has gone perfectly]]

"A wise decision. In future, please ensure you never enter the back room without a buddy." It gives a little shrug. "Health and safety, you understand." "Was there anything else?" [[Tell it about the dangerous donuts]] [[Tell it about the lost courier]] [[Smile and assure it everything else has gone perfectly->Smile and assure it everything has gone perfectly]]

"I see." The figure's tone is ambiguous. "In future, please ensure you never enter the back room without a buddy. Health and safety, you understand." "Was there anything else?" [[Tell it about the dangerous donuts]] [[Tell it about the lost courier]] [[Smile and assure it everything else has gone perfectly->Smile and assure it everything has gone perfectly]]

The figure lays a hand flat on the counter and leans earnestly toward you. "We understand that the handbook can feel like a burden to the uninitiated, but the rules are in place to keep everyone safe. We take our Valued Friends' well-being very seriously, but we can only keep you as safe as you keep yourself." It searches your face for something - agreement? apology? - and seems to find it there. The figure leans back, reassured. "Was there anything else?" [[Tell it about the lost courier]] [[Tell it about the mysterious door]] [[Smile and assure it everything else has gone perfectly->Smile and assure it everything has gone perfectly]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Thank you for reading! To restart the story, click [[HERE->BEGIN]] To return to the title page, click [[HERE->Title Page]] ]