The Fifth Day

He was unprepared for the enormity of the task, but how could he be really? This was his first time. He had been drafted onto the team, but as one of their last choices, and on a probationary basis no less. Sure he completed all the necessary schooling but his grades were unremarkable. It was luck to have made the team in the first place and now it looked like that luck had run dry. He had to rely on his skills and raw talents now, and those wells didn’t seem to be any too deep either. 

Still, the team was in the second seat and he was proud to wear the uniform, even if for a season. They were good for good reason; they were relentless in their training and preparations. First there were the endless planning meetings, then the endless preparations as well as the countless practices, rehearsals and drills followed by even more meetings, preparations, practices, rehearsals and drills. Morale was high and they were stoked; as ready as any team could be for any championship game. 

How could this have happened anyways? If only he had more time maybe he could fix it, but that really wasn’t possible was it? They had 24-hours period and there would be, in fact there could be no exceptions. Failure on that account would be catastrophic, a disaster beyond biblical proportions. He knew it as well as anyone. 

He was getting tired now, but this was no time to let up. There would be plenty of opportunity for rest later, especially if he was cut. Although he had worked tirelessly the last 23 hours and 59 minutes with out a break or chat around the cooler, he had caught glimpses of many of the team’s products as they came off the line. Even at a blush, he could tell they were masterpieces. Take your breath away beautiful! Visions of form and function, strength, speed, endless variety, flawless design, true biological wonders. The preparations had payed off! How then could this have happened? Was it an error in the inventory, or a mistake in the distribution? Did he get punked? Or could something more nefarious be going on? Theft or sabotage were unthinkable, and yet here it was. 

There were so many products, perhaps he could hide it, slip it into some remote corner where nobody would ever notice. But how could you hide anything from the boss? He seemed to know everything; must have eyes in the back of his head. No, it would be found out, there was no getting around that. Indubitably it would be the subject of a number of investigations, followed by more studies and then endless pontifications by the pundits. It would be shown on every channel every fifteen minutes, over and over again from every angle in an endless cycle for days or maybe even weeks. He would be the subject of their laughter, their scorn, their abject disappointment.

What was he supposed to do with these? There were only seconds left before the first rays of sunlight cracked the dawn on Day 6. No time left for any refinements at all really, he would just have to slap them together. There it is, just in the nick of time. It would have to be good enough. Might as well give it a name to fit, how about “platypus.” If he does manage to survive this fiasco and stay on the team, he hopes next time there won’t be any parts left over. 

Doug