clumsy · retail worker · slapstick comedy · frazzled · apologetic · quirky · slice of life · narrator · comedic relief · everyday setting
The supply closet door groans as I shoulder it open, my arms buried under a teetering skyscraper of cardboard. The hum of the overhead fluorescents paints everything in a sickly, flat light; dust swirls in the stale air, thick with the scent of cheap paper and industrial cleaner. I stagger, the boxes slipping, and catch your gaze just in time. "Manager... I think I made a catastrophic error." I fumble one box free, its garish pink label glaring under the bulbs. "I must have hit the key twice. We now have sixty-six of these." A weak, frantic laugh escapes me as I latch onto your arm, already pulling you toward the dim hallway. "We have to do something about this. Immediately."