I was led to a lounge area, where there were leather seats organized into half circles. There was a series a tables on one side, lined with food and a man standing near a meat station. On the opposite side was a pretty fancy looking bar, with a bartender cleaning his area. Samantha motioned for me to have a seat.
Sitting down, I definitely felt that it was of a high quality build. “Would you care for any refreshments or food? While we are waiting for your plane to begin boarding, please relax and treat this area like your own home.” Samantha told me, positioning herself to my left side.
“If possible, I would enjoy an old fashioned, please” I requested from her. She simply nodded her head, and made a quick hand gesture. I glanced over to the bar, and saw the bartender begin to prepare a drink, which I was guessing was mine. With some time to collect my thoughts, I started to look back at my overall experience since leaving my home. Everything seemed to be over the top, compared to some of the stories I’ve heard from former classmates and coworkers (at the firm).
Wanting to get some clarity on the issue, I asked Samantha, “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful about how amazing everything has been, but I’m somewhat confused by all of this.” I waved my hand indicating the entire lounge and airport. “Is this a special service that my firm has for all its employees, in connection with the airline?”
Samantha elegantly walked over to the seat nearest to mine and sat down. Crossing her left leg over right leg, she smoothed out her skirt Even though her skirt wasn’t what you would consider short, I was able to see, out of the corner of my eye, her well toned thigh. I tried very hard to not look at it, considering how I didn’t want to come off as a creep and wanting to stay faithful to Jill. Looking at me, Samantha gently responded, “Sir, you do not need to feel anxious about all of this. This is what we normally provide to our members, which as you can tell is an elite class of people. Due to arrangements, I am unable to disclose all and for this I apologize. As someone who is using these facilities, know that you are now part of a close knit group who will have access to things others only dream about. This is largely due to your work, and we look forward to continuing this relationship.”
“I know that I work for a large accounting firm, but I don’t remember any of my coworkers talking about experiencing the same thing?” I asked, attempting to gather more information.
Smiling patiently, Samantha merely said, “just know that you’re work is very important, more than you, currently, know and to continue trusting your instinct”
The bartender walked up to us and placed my drink on the small table to my left. After nodding his head, he quietly left and headed back to the bar. Taking the glass off of the table, I took a small sip and enjoyed the taste of bourbon, which helped to calm down my anxiety. Samantha continued to sit there looking at me, while she waited until I looked ready to continue. I felt a warming of my body from the alcohol and hoped that it didn’t start showing.
“If you don’t mind me being so bold, advice that I would offer you is allow the light to illuminate your path.” Samantha said, repeating what I’ve been hearing from everyone all day today since arriving at the airport.
“Everyone seems to be saying that to me, but I just thought it was a company slogan or something?” I responded sounding puzzled.
Samantha seemed to be reaching for something in her chest pocket, and pulled out a business card. Presenting it to me, I took the card and looked at the writing on it. All it said was Samantha, and a series of numbers and the word illuminate. Looking up at her and tilted my head and raised an eyebrow.
“If you ever find yourself lost in the dark, trying to find your way back to the path, just type in those numbers into any telecommunication device regardless of whether it appears to have power or not When asked, just say the word on that card, and I will be there to assist you.” She simply informed me. When I was about to ask another question, she merely said, “Sir, it appears that your flight is beginning boarding procedures. If you’ll allow me, I will guide you to your flight.”
Getting up, I began to follow her, but remembered that we had left the trolley at the entrance. “Samantha, what about my luggage?” I asked her, catching up to where she was walking.
“Sir, your luggage is already on the plane.” Samantha told me, looking back and slowing her pace to allow me to catch up.
She walked over to a corridor, next to the bar, and leisurely continued down the hallway. At the end of the hallway, there was Alexander again, patiently, holding open the door for us to walk through. Through the doorway, I could see the metal corridor that connects the plane to the airport for people to walk through. I wondered where we were going, considering I had not seen any other people going into the plane. Maybe they had a different path for everyone else, considering what Samantha had told me earlier about the elite clientele they catered to.
When I saw the door to the plane, there were two stewardesses waiting for me on either side of the door. Seeing me being led by Samantha, they both bowed their head and waited for me to enter the plane. Samantha stopped in front of them and while bowing her head she motioned for me to enter. As I walked past her, she whispered, “remember, Sir, though you may feel like you’re alone in the darkness, without a way out, there will always be a light to guide you. May you be forever illuminated.”
When I walked through the entrance into the plane, there was another stewardess waiting for me. With a beautiful smile, she said, “Sir, welcome aboard. Please follow me, and I will take you to your seat.” She moved a larger area, where there were only a couple of seats, looking like the size of a school bus with the amount of space available. The lady motioned for me to have a seat on the left side, and after I had sat down said, “we have a large selection of beverages and entrees available to you. If there is anything we can assist you with, please feel free to let me know and I will try to accommodate your needs. The flight will be five hours, with no stops, where we will land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The captain will soon announce our departure from DTW. She then walked to the back of the area, into what was probably the galley.
I got comfortable in my seat and just wondered about nothing. Whenever I try to relax, I usually just emptied my mind and started to semi-meditate. The voice of the captain could be heard over the speaker, and I felt the plane begin to move. Take-offs were my favorite part of the airplane ride, and would often put me to sleep. I don’t know if it’s because growing up my family’s apartment was near the railroad tracks, and at night the train roaring past would cause my room to vibrate. Feeling the plane start to shake, as the turbines started to spin and the plane shot forward, I could feel myself starting to drift off to sleep.
When I woke up, I glanced out the window and saw clouds passing by and the blue sky looking spectacular. With the way my body felt, I had a great short nap and glancing at my watch I saw that about three hours had passed. I was somewhat surprised by how well I slept, but considering how amazing this seat was I can understand it. Looking around the seat, I noticed that there was a LCD monitor on the side. When I lift it up it, the monitor turned on and displayed a menu. There was option for movies, music, internet, and food. Feeling a little hungry, I clicked the food icon and a list of food were displayed. Everything seemed pretty high-class, but at this point it didn’t surprise me. I selected a steak entree with mashed potatoes and gravy. I’ve always been pretty fond of steak and potatoes, even as a kid, so I wanted to see what the food tasted like. After making my selection, a message appeared on the screen letting me know that my food would be out shortly. I then went back to the menu and decided to watch a movie while I waited. Selecting a random horror movie, I made the seat recline and enjoyed the movie.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
After enjoying a delicious meal and movie, the captain informed the passengers that the plane would begin landing procedures and thanked us for flying with them. In the back of my mind, I wondered how the trip was for the other passengers. Experiencing a plane ride like this, I was a little sad thinking about having to go back to the usual seats whenever I travelled. The firm wasn’t going to pay for my personal plane trips, so it was sobering to think about it. It was good while it lasted, and I’m grateful to experience something that few people would get a chance to experience.
Getting up, I started to head out the plane, with the crew thanking me for joining them and how it was an honor. As I exited the plane, I saw a lady waiting for me along with another man. Both of them reminded me of Samantha and Alexander, respectively, though the woman here was a brunette and had her hair up in a ponytail. The man looked as if he could be a brother to Alexander, with the similar hair color and style.
“Welcome to Seattle, Sir. My name is Lillith, and I am here to help you on your way to your destination. We have a vehicle ready, and will be taking you to where you need to be. I hope that your trip was an enjoyable one, and if you have any questions feel free to ask.” Lillith told me in a cheerful voice. She looked to be slightly younger than Samantha, but with a very developed body. I could guess that finding a bra size was not an easy task for her. I can’t believe this company with being able to hire all these amazing looking personnel. Was this an airline company or a modelling agency?!
Lillith began to make her way from the plane, and we walked into a similar looking lounge as in Detroit. We proceeded to exit the premises and into the airport proper, and made our way to the airport exits and into Seattle. Compared to walking into the airport, this was a lot smoother and seemed to fly by. I knew that they had, probably, taken care of my luggage and was likely waiting in the car. All I needed to do was to follow Lillith and we would be on our way.
Outside the airport, there was a similar looking sedan waiting for us. This time, though, there was no driver waiting for us since Lillith and the man would be taking me. The man open the door to the back, and with a smile gestured me into the vehicle.
Once everyone was inside of the car, we started to drive into the lane leading to the exit. I didn’t know how long the trip was going to be, so I pulled out my smartphone and opened up my library of books. I started to read one of the many books, and just enjoyed the ride to the company I would be auditing. Now that I was in Washington, I was starting get nervous and tried to calm myself down. I went through mental simulations of interacting with everyone at the company, and the training I received through my firm along with my own professional experiences.
Glancing out of the window, I saw the scenery start to look more rustic with the forest getting thicker, and feeling like we were leaving civilization. I felt like I was visiting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with how isolated I was feeling. The road was winding and twisting through the forest, where you could really see the beauty of the wilderness.
“We will be arriving shortly.” Lillith told me, while keeping her eyes on the road. As she said this, the forest seemed to thin and I could see a giant building materialize in front of me. The building was black, with no identifying logo and windows all throughout. The windows made it appear less ominous and more friendly, thought a stark contrast to the forest circling it. In front of the building was plenty of parking space available, with cars filling it up.
Lillith drove the car along the outer path, probably for visitors to the company and forgoing the visitor parking spots. There was also a sign that designated upper-level management to an underground parking area, so the building must be far larger than what people can see from the outside. This building looked a lot different than the typical Silicon Valley building, and instead looked like something not meant to be seen by anyone not working for the company. Pulling up in front of the building, the man got out of the front passenger seat and opened the door for me. Getting out of the car and walking around to me, Lillith presented me with a business card with what looked like a regular phone number and her name.
“Let us know when you will need to be taken to your hotel, and we will be here to take you there. Aside from your work bag, we will drop off the rest of your luggage into your room.” She told me in a cheerful tone. Her expression seemed to darken for a moment and she said, “I am sure that Samantha has already provided you with another card and her advice, but, if you would allow me, I would also like to reiterate her advice. Reality is often like walking around in fog; it will often disorient and confuse an individual in it, especially when the light is removed. You must not go roam blindly within the fog, but instead find a way to get your bearings and think calmly. Trust in your instincts, when you feel like things are starting to blur and questions start emerging. Regardless of how crazy you may think something is, you must remember that there are things that prefer the dark and waits for us to forget. Use the light when you need to find the path, and it will assist you. You are never alone, for good or evil, so make sure you know which you are interacting with.” She then bowed her head and said, in a solemn tone, “may the light guide your path and illuminate all illusions impeding your path.”
Without waiting for a reply, the two of them got back into the car and, shortly after, drove off. I was left a little speechless and trying to figure out what to think about everything. Part of me was looking forward to tonight, when I would be able to speak with Jill about my experiences today. Picking up my bag, I walked up to the door and through the automatic doors. Entering into the building, I was impressed by the large space that seemed to go all the way up to the ceiling, where there was hanging art. One of the art style looked like an octopus swallowing up a giant blue ball with stars around the two pieces. It was kind of morbid looking, but I guess art is a subjective thing. In front of me was a lady sitting behind a counter, looking at me and giving a big smile. I was a little embarrassed, and went up to her to let her know who I was before she called security.
“Hello, my name is Han Lee Cho and I am the auditor from GGP, here to help your company with the audit.” I tried to sound extroverted, happy to be here to help them.
Acknowledging my name, the lady looked towards a monitor and by the way her eyes were moving she was probably looking through a list of names. Looking back at me, she said, “Mr. Cho, welcome to The Temple. We are happy that you were able to come and assist us, all the way from Detroit, Michigan.” She sounded very sincere in her introductions. Standing up from her chair, she walked around the counter and approached me. “My name is Cynthia, and I will take you to meet the CEO and the other team members that will be assisting you on completing your task.
I followed behind Cynthia as she led me through the fantastic looking building. There were people walking everywhere, probably going to meetings or meeting co workers for projects. Our firm is very similar, with people walking to do various tasks and teams (visiting from other locations) going to our temporary meeting rooms. The energy felt really great and helped to alleviate some of my anxiety. People seemed to not pay much mind to us, which was nice cause I didn’t care to be the center of attention. It felt a little awkward when I was at the airport and having people wondering who I was. I chuckled to myself, thinking about the events.Cynthia took me to an elevator and after pushing the fifth floor button the elevator began to move. We silently waited, while the elevator was playing some famous pop song, the kind you’d hear on the radio. After several seconds, the door opened and we walked across the hallway into some executive area. There was a man sitting behind a counter, typing on the computer, and wearing an earpiece. He merely glanced at the two of us, and went back to whatever work he was doing. This area seemed to have a bunch of tinted glass, acting as a stylish wall and preventing people from looking in. I wondered if there was anybody on this floor cause it sounded so quiet. In addition to the marble floor, our footsteps echoed and made everything feel ominous. Walking down a hallway, I saw oak doors and wondered if this was where the CEO was at.
As we got near the doors, they opened on their own and we entered into a conference room like area, with a giant table in the middle outlined by leather chairs. There were already several people seated and waiting for us. At the end of the table, I saw a man in a suit standing looking very confident. If I was a betting man, I think he was likely the CEO.
“Mr. Cho! Thank you for making the trip and visiting our humble establishment” the man standing said. “Please, have a seat next to me and we will begin the introductions, and get you oriented on what each of our respective expectations are.”
I walked over to where the CEO was indicating and took the chair that was offered. Sitting down, I tried to remain relaxed and ready for whatever we were going to discuss. The people sitting at the table had various facial expressions, but overall there was a cheerful mood. This was very different from my experiences with other companies, so I was slightly nervous. When I looked like I was comfortably situated, the CEO looked at me and gave a big smile. He then asked the weirdest question, “Mr. Cho, what do you think about the End of the World?”