Have you ever had an encounter so unsettling that it leaves you shaken? Perhaps something so uncanny that you forget what you’re doing? I know a story like that. A man who will remain nameless, we’ll call him “the executive,” sits in the top of a glass tower, overlooking a field of airplanes. He sits at a polished desk with four little drawers, each containing blank paper, office supplies and such things.
Kendra appears and places a page on the executive’s desk. So, he stamps it with a red seal. And in an hour, three associates appear in their black suites and black ties, and these somber men stack the executive’s desk full of papers for him to stamp and sign. So he [stamps and signs] and [stamps and signs] and soon there is a red seal on every piece of paper on the executive’s desk.
And then Kendra appears with a box of daily questions from lower management, the risk analysis report from Frederick and a copy of the new insurance plans for him to review in detail, and the executive begins to wonder when he will get a chance to go home, if he will get a chance to go home, when Kendra phones in and says “your son is here to see you.”
What? The executive thinks. His son is supposed to be in Miami, far away from the family, relaxing, sinking into a chair, on the beach. Confused, the executive makes a call and asks that his son be sent up in the elevator. “I’m not sure you want to do that,” the secretary says, but the executive demands that his son be sent up in the elevator straight away, without delay, to his office.
Only when the double doors open, a different man walks through. This man is not the executive’s son. Rather he is the dirtiest man the executive has ever seen. The fellow wears a long brown trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat, and underneath, he has black soot and oil smeared over his face and hands. The man has the look of death about him – danger lurks in his wild eyes.
The executive wants to phone security, and yet the telephone is too far out of reach. The dirty man strolls into the room and sits down in the chair across from the executive. It appears likely that the intruder, this filthy man, may be carrying a gun under that long brown coat. So the executive does not reach for the phone. Instead, he sits and addresses this individual. “Who are you?” he asks.
The man smiles and does not say a word. His eyes glance around the room.
“What do you want?” The executive asks.
The dirty man does not speak again. With a look of menace, he reaches into his trench coat with his right hand, and the executive begins to panic. “Name one thing. Whatever you want, name it and I’ll make it happen,” the executive says.
“Aw shucks,” the dirty man says, looking out the window. “Look at all those airplanes down below. Beautiful creatures. When was the last time you went flying? Men of the Earth dream of flying with the birds, and yet here you are in your glass tower. My friend, it’s time to go on an adventure. Nothing else matters now.” The dirty man rambled on.
The executive studied him, coming to believe this man insane. “What do you want from me?” He asks.
The dirty man pulled his hand from his jacket: inside his palm was a container of grape chewing gum. The man placed two purple gum tablets on his tongue. “Mmmmmmm” he says, “That’s some damn fine chewing gum. Want a piece?” The man offered with a smile.
“No thanks,” the executive said, edging closer to his security phone.
“I was hoping you would give me some discounted tickets for a flight,” the dirty man said. “I know a beautiful woman in Bali, and she can help us decode the mystery of an ancient tablet. You’ll get instant answers to all your questions. It’s easy, you’ll see. How about we leave tomorrow?”
The executive replied, “You need to leave now. I’ll make sure Margaret sets you up with some discount tickets for your next flight.”
The other man rose, still chewing his bubble gum. He said “Thanks pops. Make sure to tell the airplanes I said hi. Also, when you’re walking home tonight, go into the first convenience store you find. Tell the drunks the secret of creating fire. Look them straight in the eye and say ‘follow your dreams, no matter what. The path lies in your heart.'”
“I will” the executive said, eager to get the dirty man out of his office. Finally he convinced the guy to get into the elevator and sent him back down. The executive sank into his chair, his heart racing. The stacks of paperwork on his desk seemed unimportant now. He picked up his phone and called his son to say hi. Then he remembered where he wanted to go: he phoned the new pizza restaurant, and arranged a dinner reservation for two. The executive left everything behind in his office, as he made his way to his car and drove off through the beautiful sunset-lit fields…