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First Visit to Enchanted,
Inc.
I stepped up to the desk
and said, "I'm Kathleen Chandler. I have a ten o'clock appointment with
Rodney Gwaltney of Personnel."
He ran a thumb down a
giant book that lay open on his desk and said, "Ah, yes, Miss Chandler.
We've been expecting you." He placed his palm on a crystal ball that sat
on his desk and said softly. "Rod, your visitor is here." Now, that was
an unusual intercom system. The crystal ball was held by a pewter dragon
sculpture that looked like something I'd once seen on sale at a
Renaissance festival. The crystal glowed, then the guard looked back at
me, smiled, and said, "He'll be with you in a moment."
It didn't take Rod long
at all to come down the sweeping staircase at the back of the lobby.
"Katie, good to see you," he said. "Right this way." He escorted me
toward the stairs, saying as he walked, "Unfortunately, we don't have
elevators in this building. I hope you don't mind the stairs."
"My apartment's a
walk-up. I think I'll manage," I said as I followed him.
If I'd been intrigued
before, now I was downright curious. What kind of company would be based
in a building like this? It was a pretty safe bet that I could rule out
anything in the high-tech industry. I remembered what Owen had said the
other day about predating computers. Something financial, maybe? That
wouldn't be out of the ordinary around here. "Curiouser and curiouser,"
I muttered under my breath.
"What was that?" Rod
asked.
"Nothing. Just feeling a
bit like Alice."
We'd reached the top of
the stairs and now faced a pair of doors almost as impressive as the
front doors. "Well, Alice, welcome to Wonderland," he said as the doors
swung open.
I'm not sure even Alice
would have believed what I saw inside that room. |
