"Don't forget to set the alarm." George, a co-worker, said. He slipped on his jacket.
Audrey glanced up from the computer and replied, "I won't. First, I need to complete this contract."
After finishing her work, Audrey walked back to the restroom and flipped on the light. Storage boxes lined one side of a wall, and a three-foot soldier boy stood in a corner waiting for Christmas.
When she was ready to leave, she turned the doorknob. It broke off, leaving the metal end sharp and serrated. In a squatting position, Audrey narrowed an eye and twisted the broken spindle into the hole; It didn't connect. Scanning the room, she told herself, "I've got to find something to trip the lock." — The Nutcracker.
The sword was too big. But the rods connecting the arms might work. Audrey jabbed a steel pin into the hole and poked. No luck.
She heard the phone ringing in the office. Wouldn't stop, made her more nervous than she already was.
Audrey pounded her fists and kicked on the door. The restroom became her jail.
Then taking one cardboard box after another, she flung them. Files and papers soared in the air. The wooden soldier boy flew, too.
Audrey took a deep breath and attempted again; after probing here and probing there, the stem connected, and she was able to turn the nob—a miracle.
Not wasting one second, she grabbed her purse and raced out of the office.
Just as she was getting into her car, George pulled into the parking lot.
"I tried calling. Nobody picked up."
"I was trapped in the restroom."
"Oh, you're such a joker."
"Yeah, I'm hilarious." Audrey got in her Honda and left.