The bright white of the light fixture overhead twitches as one of the bulbs flickers, making the cold bank lobby seem even more sterile than usual. I heave I sigh from where I sit at my desk, discovering why nobody else wanted the closing shift. It’s my first week here, and I’m chronically bored. The emptiness of the room makes the tick of the clock echo, filing the painful silence with a constant rhythm. My fingernails tap my desk in time with the ticks, my mind wandering. I think I must have drifted off, because the next thing I know I’m being snapped out of my thoughts by a voice.

“Hello!” A cheery woman stands before me, all smiles and hand outstretched. I wearily stand and shake her hand, embarrassed that I hadn’t noticed her come in. Her hand is soft, her nails well manicured, and I realize the level of my mistake.

“Hello ma’am, I’m so sorry, I must not have heard the door!” I giggle nervously as I draw my hand back. The woman’s smile is ever present as I continue. “What can I do for you today?” The woman’s smile suddenly turns into a look of concern, her eyebrows creasing as she brings her finger to her chin, thinking.

“Well you see,” she starts, the red of her lips perfectly complementing her red nails, “My husband was in earlier, he needed to retrieve some documents for our upcoming vacation.” I nod as she speaks, maintaining my eye contact dispite her eyes wandering around the room. “And he seems to have lost our safe key, I suspect he may have locked it inside.” Her bright eyes flash back to mine as she finishes her story, seemingly waiting for me to speak.

“I see…” I say hesitantly, not quite sure how to handle the situation. The diamonds around her neck sparkle under the fluorescent lights, and I panic, not knowing what to do.

“Well I was hoping,” she continued, “That you’d allow me to use the bank key, just to double check.” Yes, the bank key, of course! We keep a small skeleton key behind tour desk which allows us to unlock any of the safety deposit boxes. I remember my supervisor showing it to me, and explaining that it should only be used in the case of an emergency. But certainly this scenario warrants its use, so I reach under the desk pull it out. The woman’s face lights up when she sees it, relieved.

“Oh, I can’t thank you enough-” her words fall short as she reaches for the key and I pull my hand away.

“I’ll have to unlock it, costumers aren’t allowed the skeleton key. It’s policy, I’m sorry.” Her face falls at this, her bottom lip jutting out slightly.

“You have other workers here at this hour?” She says, her face once again looking concerned while mine turns confused.

“No ma’am, just me.”

“Is it really alright for you to leave the lobby unattended? What if someone come in and sees it empty? I really don’t want to be a bother, I can be quick.” Her smile returns to her face as she outstretches her hand once again, this time with her palm open and waiting for the key. She bats her long eyelashes at me as she hold eye contact for the longest time since she’s been here. She’s right, I’m not supposed to leave the lobby unattended. It’s in the employee handbook too, it’s policy…

“Okay…” I say finally as I drop the key into her hand. She smiles brighter than ever as she quickly closes her fist around the key.

“Thanks doll! I’ll be quick, I promise.” She says as she walks off towards the safety deposit room, the click of her heels echoing in her wake. I feel uneasy, but brush it off. I have to stay here anyway, and who knows what kind of trouble she could have gotten me in had she left empty handed.

Silence once again fiils the lobby, and I slump in my chair. Right back to being bored. Minutes pass, than an hour, and the woman still hasn’t returned. Maybe she can’t find her lost key? Maybe she’s digging through every inch of her box? Still, a whole hour? I look back towards the room nervously before standing and making my way over.

I’m about halfway down the hall when the loudest thundering noise I’ve ever heard rattles the building. Quickly, I race to the safety deposit room to find the woman from the lobby standing halfway outside, exiting though a freshly blown hole in the wall. She blows me a kiss, winking as she dips out of the room and out of my sight.

My jaw hangs open as I look around the room to see every safe lining the walls open, each one completely empty. I scramble across the room to the hole, peeking out to try to see her, but I don’t. She’s simply vanished.

“Shit,” I say to myself. “I am so fired.”