Staple Story

Someone must have cut a spare key to the supply room closet. Gavin, as office manager, was the only person who was supposed to have one. Staples were missing again, but they left the empty boxes behind. It was probably Max, the copy girl he let go. She had messed up an important job causing them to lose a client. He ordinarily wouldn’t fire someone for an honest mistake, but she had lied about it. She swore to the end that she had loaded it with staples and selected “staple” from the digital menu. He couldn’t have anyone working for him that wasn’t willing to own up to their mistakes. She had a bad attitude anyway, if her one-fingered exit salute was any indication.

Gavin considered office supply stores to be an egregious waste of money. He had a friend who worked in a government surplus warehouse that always had the basics – sturdy, ugly office furniture, paper, manila folders, paper clips and staples.

“Hey, Chet. It’s Gavin. I need to put in another order.”

“Gavin, my man. I was just about to call you.”

“Well, don’t sound so excited. I just need to get some more staples. Somebody’s been st…”

“How many staples you got left?” Chet interrupted him.

“Just a couple of boxes. I’m almost out. That’s why I called.”

“Don’t use any of the remaining staples,” Chet said gravely, “take them out of the staplers and copy machines and lock them up until our staff gets there. In return, we’ll give you a whole new order of staples for free. Just don’t use any more staples from lot number ML1994A.”

“Are you serious?” Gavin replied.

“Yes.”

“Free staples?”

“Yes.”

“Then consider it done.”

Gavin barely had time to complete his given task before the four staff members arrived. Two were impeccably dressed in black business suits and two wore what looked like black haz-mat suits. While they went towards the supply closet that Gavin pointed them to, the businessmen gestured him towards a desk.

“Have you noticed any unusual occurrences around your office lately?”

“Nothing other than the staples disappearing and you guys showing up.”

“How many people touch the staples?” the other man asked.

“Since I let Max go, just me,” Gavin answered.

“Do you recognize the person in this photograph?” the other one said, sliding an eight-by-ten printout in front of him. Gavin gasped. It was Max. Maxine Tomelchuk. Her face was distraught with fear as she stared at the ends of her wrists where her hands should have been.

“Y-yes,” he stammered. “That’s Max. What happened to her?”

“What’s going to happen to you soon. There was a ship called the U.S.S. Eldridge that participated in a camouflaging experiment back in 1943. Things went terribly awry with crew members becoming fused with the metal of the ship. The ship was eventually scrapped and the steel used to manufacture staples.”

Gavin stared at his hands one last time in horror.