Oscillating Offices

Sally got off the bus at her usual stop and stared across the vast expanse of green parkland, punctuated by the odd building outlined against the dawn. Arriving at work at 06:30, she got the flattest part of the day and could catch the peaceful sunrise over the citypark. The birds were singing their hearts out as she walked down Rosehip Avenue and turned down the path to her office. She stopped at the end in front of a square brushed-steel arch surrounding a pair of sliding glass doors bearing the logo of her employer, “Kanji Associates”, down one side of the doors was a column of buttons from one up to forty seven. Beyond the glass doors was another half an acre of parkland fenced off in a rectangle, less formal than that behind her and with a distinct ‘Japanese Garden’ feel.

Sally selected button twenty three and waited while the Japanese garden lifted into the air revealing the top few floors of her office beneath it. The facilities floor (devoid of air-con or lift machinery) sped by followed by the board offices and several floors of finance. Her friend Grace appeared briefly as floor twenty nine passed her on it’s way up – Grace was the only person she knew who came in earlier than she did. The building slowed gracefully and stopped with floor twenty three in front of her just as the glass doors opened simultaneously with the glass doors set into the side of the building. Sally stepped into the office before it closed it’s doors and sank neatly back into the ground.

At half past twelve Sally was getting hungry, she called Grace and agreed to meet her at their usual bench a little earlier than usual. Stepping out of the office into the sun she strolled down to where Grace was waiting for her. However the sun was abruptly cut off by the rising of a building to her left and when it fell again the sun was still blocked by a building behind it. All around her offices were gliding silently up and down as people came out on their lunch breaks. The skyline was a constantly shifting pattern of rising and falling towers. After stopping by Ivan’s Deli (a one storey building built entirely above ground), the pair made their way over to the Rothschild Building where they called the roof. A couple of minutes later, the building obligingly lowered itself down allowing them to step into it’s manicured rooftop arboretum. They found a quiet spot amidst the various people scattered about and Grace pulled a small picnic rug from her bag and laid it out on the grass. As they were settling themselves they were gently propelled upwards into the sunny blue sky as someone called the first floor.