Tourniquet

by Liam Hogan

About the Author: Liam Hogan is a London based writer. Winner of Quantum Shorts 2015 and Sci-Fest LA's Roswell Award 2016. His dark fantasy collection "Happy Ending Not Guaranteed" is out now from Arachne Press. Find out more at http://happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk/, or tweet at @LiamJHogan

Excerpt

Charles Petheridge-Smythe sits on the edge of my desk.

I listen.

I do not understand. He uses too many words. Even his name has too many words. He talks around what he wants. He talks about politics and company morale and ‘avoiding any unpleasant misunderstandings’. He says things that have nothing to do with work.

I nod yes. Or shake no. Or dip my head lower when he pauses. His perched position makes me uncomfortable.

I watch the clock in the lower right-hand corner of my monitor.

He has been talking for seventeen minutes.

“—so I’ll take that as an affirmative, shall I?”

I look up. He expects an answer.

“Could you ... send an email?”

He frowns. “An email, Jane? Is that strictly necessary?”

I think about saying yes. About it ‘avoiding any unpleasant misunderstandings’. I shake my head.

“Good, good.” He stands. He smiles. It is directed to the desk opposite mine. To the new girl, Evangeline. “By the end of today, yes?”

He sits on Evangeline’s desk.

I go to see Bernadette.

“Ah ... Dear Charles,” she tuts. “He uses words like a tourniquet, to strangle the meaning from his sentences.”

These are her words. She is proud of them. She stares across the open plan office to where he is perched. She does not like Evangeline.

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