inputting data at new job

"ok you're going to be inputting these stacks from our signups"

"here go to this page"
"login is already set just hit ok"
"from the columns on here you can look up each persons account with the number they used on the sheet here"
I nodded eagerly at him as he said this to me, and looked at him in the eyes, showing that I was full of comprehension. Quick to understand and leaving behind any doubts of my confusion.
He saw my look and seemed relieved at dealing with a new employee that wasn't going to be a burden.
"after you look it up you need to enter the account additions tab - here"
He moved the cursor over to it and held it there briefly before clicking.
I nodded my head.
"then click on this button that says new addition"
"and enter the amount from the sheet"
"after you enter it, be sure to click on the Save down here at the bottom"
He waved the cursor around the save button.
Then came his warning: "if you don't click the save before moving onto the next one, we will miss it and have to go back through all the sheets to make it right, it'll be a real headache"
Gravely I nodded and said "of course, I'll be sure to click it - everytime".
I seemed to have won over his confidence.
"now you try a couple, I'll watch"
He relinquished control of the mouse to me and slid over, giving my office chair the majority of space in front of the
screen.
I competently went through a couple of the columns and entered the numbers in the same way that he had shown me.
he said "great" and "perfect"
"if you have any other questions you can ask me, I'll be over there"
he pointed past the corner and through a hall to another room, and then left.


I quickly entered some of the data and started to develop a rhythm to it, I noticed the only burden to my work was waiting for the different screens to load after clicking through to them. A little smile lifted itself on the corners of my lips as I thought about the pointlessness of this work, and how easy it was to act eager. The white walls of the room were bright but dull from the fluorescent light on the ceiling above. The desk that I was stationed at was also white, and despite the intentions of a perfect simplicity to its shape the office chairs that had been shoved against it had chipped off small pieces of its exterior- in the same repeating areas and heights. I heard muffled voices from beyond the hall, and a small polite laugh. I typed a few more entries into the computer, but my typing had slowed as I was listening more intently to the ambient sounds. Dull throbbing, a ticking somewhere, murmurs, a door opening and shutting, my own breaths.

I deliberately stopped with one of the entries only being half entered and began to transform. It was a quick process as I became a flat wisp that floated into the air and adhered myself smoothly across the stucco ceiling. I looked below at the work station that I had previously occupied and I waited.

The manager that was showing me the process earlier stepped in and looked confused, he saw the empty workstation and the half finished screen. He made a kind of "hmm" noise and left again. I remained on the ceiling as a thin and imperceivable coating.

Later I heard the managers voice asking some employees in the other room a question. I heard negative affirmations in reply. The manager stepped into the room again, scratched his head and looked around. He approached the desk closer and drummed his fingers onto the stack of sheets. "That's weird" he said. I stared intently at him and saw a look of annoyance come over his face as he thought about the necessary data that needed to be entered and hadn't been. "Shit" he said in a whisper and then he heavily stepped back out of the room. I grinned and slowly drifted away into sleep. I needed the rest for tomorrow as I was starting another job, and another the day after.