Life in the 21st Century (300 Words)

A flash fiction contest entry. Sadly, this is a true story.

I finished off a spreadsheet, which needed to be done by yesterday, but it was so boring that I had to put it off at least fifty times before doing it.

The office was busy. Everyone was chatting into their headsets, making it difficult for me to concentrate. I often find noise extremely distracting.

I took a drink of Pepsi Max. It was cool and refreshing. I'd been too addicted to the fizzy goodness of late.

The morning went by nice and quickly. The sun zipped up from its hiding place under the horizon and was happily in its mid-day spot in the clear blue sky.

Usually, the afternoons are the parts of the day that drag. I'm always very aware of it becoming 2 PM, and I prepare myself for the daily slump by reclining in my chair as far down and back as the chair allows.

I knew that attempting to work during the afternoon slump was futile. It was like fighting a force of nature. I'd made my mind up long ago not to fight forces of nature.

I moved the mouse cursor round in circles, clicking randomly in my spreadsheet -- a tried-and-true technique to look busy.

The office had gone quiet. Everyone had gradually gone down to the restaurant for lunch. The room was toasty. It felt cosy.

Settled in my chair, listening to the quiet hum of the air conditioning, I began to close my eyes. I had just enough time to think, "Uh-oh, it's happening again," before I fell into a deep and delicious sleep.

Lord knows how much later, I woke up to find my boss staring at me from across the desk, one eyebrow raised like Mount Everest.

"Just resting my eyes… " I ventured.

I don’t think he bought it.