Page 22 of Break Room

She starts weighing the risks of working on each floor.

If she is to work on the fifth floor, she would have to train herself to sing in public, become reborn as a new person, or try every means possible to change her personality.

The fourth floor would require her to tackle the task of working with Speedo.

The third floor seems fun enough, except she’d need to be careful when picking a topic to talk about with Mogberry.

And to work with Vigo Myers on the second floor, she would need to start ironing her blouse every day before she even tries to pass his test. Just as she passes the second floor, she hears Myers shouting, ‘All products are sold out on the second floor! All sold out!’

Penny arrives on the first floor in front of DallerGut’s office, still undecided about where she wants to work.

The ‘Temporarily Away’ sign that was on the door earlier is now gone.

She is about to knock on the door when she notices it’s ajar.

She peeks inside. DallerGut has company – it’s Weather from the front desk.

‘DallerGut, we are too old and worn out. We’re long past the young days when a cheap lunch box was all we needed to recharge, and that was thirty years ago.

We need more people at the front desk. It’s too much work for us two to handle.

Just look at us today. You were unavailable all day, taking care of the pre-orders in your office and keeping track of the inventory.

I almost passed out covering for you,’ Weather complains.

‘I’m sorry, Weather. But you know how important the front desk job is.

I can’t entrust it to anyone. I’ll try to post an opening internally to see if anyone within our staff is interested.

Please bear with me a little longer. The work can get overwhelming, so I’m not quite sure if anyone is up for it .

. . Oh yes! How about Vigo Myers from the second floor? ’

‘Myers?’ Weather asks.

‘With his experience and knowledge, he should be a great help,’ DallerGut says gently.

‘Oh, I don’t think he would like the idea of working for me. Unless we offer him a managerial position for the first floor . . . Wait, who’s there?’ Weather seems to sense Penny’s presence and turns toward the door.

Penny walks in, presenting an outward calm. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and say I finished touring all the floors . . .’

‘Oh, I see. It’s fine! Please have a seat here.’ DallerGut greets Penny with delight. He is wearing a soft cardigan, leaning back in his chair. ‘So, which floor do you want to work on?’ he asks.

‘If I were you, I would choose the second floor. I can’t say Vigo Myers is easy to work with, but you will learn a lot from him ,’ Weather adds. She also seems interested in hearing Penny’s answer.

But Penny knows now that an appealing position has just opened up. And she does not want to let that opportunity slip away.

After a pause, she says in a firm voice, ‘I want to work at the front desk.’

To her surprise, DallerGut and Weather accept her proposal without hesitation.

Weather seems especially delighted that she will have support to take some of the load off her starting as early as to day.

And DallerGut, who must have been secretly afraid that Weather would drop a bomb and say ‘I want to quit’ or ‘I decided to move to another store,’ seems relieved that Penny has swooped in and saved him with the perfect solution.

The three walk out to the front desk so that Penny can be briefed on her new job. Behind the front desk are multiple security monitors following the state of each floor, and a microphone for making announcements. Brochures for customers are piled up on one side.

‘Here, you can track each floor’s inventory, sales and dream payment statuses,’ Weather says, as she pulls up several complex windows on the computer monitor.

‘This is Dream Pay Systems Version 4.5! It’s the ultimate all-inclusive software with everything you need to run a store.

The dream payment balance system it offers is especially top-notch.

Comes with a steep cost, but it’s all worth it.

And if you want to use the automatic balance system that links to the safe .

. . When the inventory falls below fourteen per cent, it will trigger an automatic warning . . .’

Penny realises she is drastically losing focus. She can barely follow every few words of Weather’s speech. Surprisingly, DallerGut is wearing the same vacant look as Penny, standing there dumbfounded.

‘I see you’re another DallerGut, just as tech-averse. I’ll tell you what the Eyelid Scale is.’

‘Now that’s something I can weigh in on!’ DallerGut brightens.

Weather turns toward the wall, which circles the back of the front desk.

On closer examination, the towering wall is a giant set of shelves with each level fully packed.

On each shelf are small scales with numbers.

The pendulums on the scales swing up and down like eyelids, indicating the sleep status.

Located at around Penny’s height sits a scale labelled ‘No. 902’, its marker quickly moving up and down between ‘awake’ and ‘sleepy’.

‘These are for our regulars. Specifically designed to predict their visiting hours. It is the product of our long-standing history of know-how,’ DallerGut says with a proud look.

‘This customer’s eyelids always used to get droopy at around this hour,’ Weather says, looking sentimentally at Eyelid Scale No.

999. ‘But as the customer aged, he started sleeping way less. He rarely comes to buy dreams nowadays. You see, I share a lot of memories with them here. I gently stroke their eyelids sometimes, for customers who pre-order dreams and don’t come to pick them up on time.

But you should refrain from stroking them, really; you never know if they’re in the middle of something important where they can’t afford to doze off. ’

Penny is so busy writing down notes that she barely has time to answer. ‘Sorry, can you repeat what you just said? You do what to the eyelids?’

‘It’s fine. No worries – I will be working next to you anyway.’

The three are diving deeply into the Eyelid Scale conversation when an alarm pings by the front desk. It is coming from the ‘Dream Pay Systems’ monitor that Weather so highly praises.

‘Ding Dong. ALL PRODUCTS SOLD OUT. WE ARE CLEARED OF ALL STOCK!’

‘Work’s done for today now that everything is sold out ,’ DallerGut says as he checks the notification and then announces through the microphone that everyone can leave work early. There is roaring and cheering as soon as the announcement goes out.

‘It’s been ages since this happened! I should leave early, too. I have a family gathering tonight. My youngest can finally do a handstand! So we’re going to celebrate,’ Weather says.

All the employees, including Weather, leave one by one, and now, there are only DallerGut and Penny left. Penny also wants to leave, but she is waiting for her boss to go first, and he is still in the office. In the meantime, there are still customers snooping around the front gate.

‘I’m sorry, all our products are sold out. We will open tomorrow as soon as we restock.’

Penny tries to feign her best apologetic look. Four or five customers in their sleepwear shrug and turn around to leave.

DallerGut, meanwhile, is scribbling something on a piece of paper at the front desk.

‘What are you writing?’ Penny asks.

‘I’m writing a sold-out notice to hang on the front gate.’

Penny stands quietly, watching DallerGut. He has already thrown away three sheets of paper and is on the fourth draft because, apparently, he doesn’t like his handwriting. Penny still finds it surreal that she is working with DallerGut. What is more, she is actually standing right next to him!

‘Is the Third Disciple from the story really one of your ancestors?’ Penny asks, out of the blue.

‘That’s what I’m told. My parents and grandparents always reminded me of that,’ DallerGut responds nonchalantly as he picks bits of fluff from his cardigan.

‘That’s awesome!’ Penny looks at DallerGut in complete awe.

‘Done!’ he exclaims, finally finishing off the sign.

‘Here, let me put it up for you.’ Penny takes out two long lines of tape and sticks up the notice nice and firmly. She stands back to check that it is straight before she comes back in.

All products are sold out today!

Thank you to our customers for visiting the DallerGut Dream Department Store on your way to sleep.

Please come back tomorrow! We are open all year round, twenty-four seven.

We will always have fantastic dream products waiting for you.

Yours truly,

DallerGut

‘Time for some cookies!’ DallerGut hums as he opens a packet that says ‘Calm Cookies’. They are the same ones he offered Penny at her job interview. ‘Wait, why are you still here, Penny? You should go home.’

‘Well . . . I was just . . . Since you’re still here . . .’

‘Oh, no. I’m kind of already off,’ DallerGut says, ambiguously.

‘Pardon?’

‘I actually live in the attic of this building. It’s been remodelled for my use.’

‘Oh . . .’

Jingle.

The doorbell rings, and in comes an elderly customer.

‘I’m sorry, we’re out of stock today,’ says Penny, but DallerGut steps in, signalling for Penny to wait as he walks forward.

‘Actually, I’m not here to buy anything. Do you take pre-orders?’ the customer asks.

‘Of course, please come over here.’ DallerGut deftly hides the cookie behind his back and welcomes the customer in, followed by a couple more. All are of different ages and genders, but their eyes are all swollen. They must have cried before going to sleep.

‘Something must’ve happened to them,’ Penny whispers to DallerGut, making sure her voice is inaudible to the customers.

‘Looks like it. I know them all. They’re actually here later than usual.’

‘They must’ve tossed and turned before falling asleep.’

‘Quite possibly.’

DallerGut takes them to the staff lounge to the right of the entrance. Penny follows, which DallerGut does not seem to mind.

Reached through a creaky arch-shaped door, the lounge reveals itself to be quite expansive.

A chandelier that looks more like a small lamp gives off a warm, cosy feel.

There are ragged, patched-up cushions, a couch and a long table made from a single piece of wood.

The lounge feels complete, with an old fridge, a coffee machine and a snack basket.

The customers sit as DallerGut grabs a handful of candies from the snack basket and starts handing them out. ‘This is called Deep Sleep Candy. Sweet and effective. Perfect for sleepless nights like tonight.’

They take the candies one by one. Then suddenly, tears start streaming down their faces.

‘I’m sorry, I should’ve given you Calm Cookies first,’ says DallerGut. ‘But no worries. You can cry all you want. Whatever happens here stays here. Now, what dream shall I prepare for you?’

‘I broke up with my partner a few days ago.’ A young woman sitting by the entrance opens up first. ‘I’ve been okay, coping with it well, but today I had a sudden migraine, and my heart was burning like crazy.

I don’t feel lonely, but I just feel miserable.

Ever since the break-up, I can’t seem to move on, not even one step.

I want to know what’s on my mind, whether it is regret or resentment.

Will I understand if I see him again in my dream? ’

‘I lost my older sister when I was little. We had a big age gap. And yesterday was my twenty-fifth birthday. The same age my sister was when she passed away. It dawns on me just how young she was when she left, and it aches. I would love to see her, at least in my dreams, and, like, have a chat. Do you think she’s doing okay? ’

‘The contest deadline is coming up soon, but I still have no idea what to submit. Everyone else seems to have brilliant, inspirational ideas, and I feel so dumb. I’m getting old, and there are no other skills that I’ve mastered, and I can’t seem to give up on my dream and what I want to do.’

‘I turned seventy last month. It’s been a long, full life.

I was packing to move into a new home today and came across some pictures of myself from my student days, and of my wedding.

And those old memories have been haunting me all day.

Then, as I lay in bed, sorrow crept over me.

The time that had flown by felt so cruel. ’

The customers all have their own stories to tell, and it takes a long while, as DallerGut takes thorough notes. ‘Thank you, everyone,’ he says eventually. ‘Your pre-order applications are all filled out. We will start preparing your dreams.’

The customers stand up from their seats as they finish the Deep Sleep Candy.

‘When can we expect to receive our dreams?’ asks the old lady, who is the last one to stand up.

‘Let me see . . . For some of you, I can get them right away, but the rest of you may have to wait a bit longer.’

‘How long?’

‘I can’t be sure enough to tell you right now, but there is one thing you all need to do in order to receive your dreams intact.’

‘What is it?’

‘You must try to get a deep sleep every night. That’s all.’

The customers finally leave the store. Standing next to DallerGut, who is busy compiling all the notes, Penny gets ready to take off.

‘Do you sell these kinds of made-to-order dreams often?’ she asks.

‘Not too often, but sometimes. I always find it more rewarding than selling pre-made dreams. You will understand when you run a store for a long time like me. Now, off you go.’

‘Okay.’

The Eyelid Scales continue moving up and down.

‘Oh, Penny, wait!’ DallerGut stops Penny, who is about to leave.

‘Yes?’

‘I forgot to give you an official welcome. Congratulations! We’re happy to have you work with us. Hope you like it here so far.’