Shortcuts

Teresa stared at the blank screen. How could her boss get away with telling her to submit her summary report for the agency newsletter at four o’clock on a Friday afternoon? She had been on the job less than a month, and it was a bit early to put this kind of responsibility on her shoulders. Two hours later she sat in the silent office with the [blink] of the cursor mocking her on a blank screen.

She stared at the ceiling. The red light from the flickering “Exit” [arrow] sign mesmerized her. She should have walked out of that door with her colleagues an hour ago. How were her co-workers able to type out a summary report so quickly?

Teresa stood and paced the floor. The sun had just set and the streetlamps from the parking lot cast shadows on the cubical walls. As she passed one cubical she noticed a white sheet of paper glowing in the printer. Curious, she picked it up and read:

Allisa’s report - Things have been flowing well in the sales division. October quotas were met and November is progressing nicely. There are no problems to report at this time.

Teresa’s jaw dropped. That’s it? She thought this had to be a fancy article. She put the paper on the printer and smiled as she returned to her desk and typed her own summary:

Teresa’s report – Work in the production division has gone well. I’ve learned a great deal in my month with the agency. I look forward to learning more in the coming months.

She smiled as she printed the report and put it on the boss’s desk. She took a shortcut, but that didn’t matter. There was no [treasure] like finding a simple solution to a big problem.

Word Count: 296