Excerpt: Funny Business

An Office Fairly Tale

It was a dark and stormy night. Little Beatrice crawled into her father’s lap and pulled the ends of her violet flannel nightgown close to her thin body, darting a hand to push tangled brown hair behind her ears so she could look into his face.

“I’m scared Daddy,” she probed his weary brown eyes for reassurance.

The man smiled tenderly, pushed his teal power tie to one side, and poked at her nose with his well-manicured index finger. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a little thunderstorm.”

“But it’s loud and the wind keeps knocking the tree against my window.”

“Sometimes loud things aren’t important. Sometimes they’re just … loud.”

“Huh?” She scrunched up her brow and waited for him to explain.

He chuckled, pushed the hair back behind her ear from where it had escaped again, and settled her in his lap. “Would you like me to tell you a story?”

She was immediately alert. “I’d love it. One about bears or pigs or wolves?”

“Oh, this one has all of those and much more.”

“I’m ready!” She pulled her feet up closer as another clap of thundered rattled the windows in the suburban house with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and an open floor plan.

Her father leaned back, kicked off his Florsheims, and looked dreamily into the distance.

“It all started in a simpler time. A time not so long ago. A time when man could walk into the workforest and make things happen without fear…