The girl did not look like the sort of person who should be in a business office. Barely out of her teens, she had nearly white skin, jet black hair, and a figure thin enough to make a stick figure suck in its gut. She was dressed in a black lace evening gown; the overall effect was not unlike the bride of Dracula. And she was yelling.
“Mister Adams, be reasonable! You can’t just kick these people out! They have families!”
He tried to remain calm. “Miss Vandermeer, those ‘families’ of yours were squatters when I purchased that property. They’ve been notified three times already over the past month that they have to leave. They were also told the date the wreckers would be there to knock it down, and that date is tomorrow. When I drove by this morning, there were very clear signs of people not moving out. So no, an extension is out of the question.”
“But they’re the poorest of the poor; they have no place to go!”
“And no place to stay! Miss Vandermeer, if those people are not off my property when the workmen show up, I will have them physically ejected!” He took a moment to breathe deeply. “I have tried to be reasonable but their time is up, Miss Vandermeer, and so is yours. Good day.”
She took the hint, but paused in the doorway. “You’ll get your wish. Tomorrow all three families will be gone.” She flashed him a wicked smile; were those fangs? “It will be a dream come true for you, Mister Adams.” And she was gone, her light but slightly creepy chuckle echoing in his ears.
The next morning Adams called the foreman before leaving for work.
“Is everything ready, George?”
“Sure is, sir. The crew just started knocking out walls and fixtures.”
“What about the squatters?”
“All gone, sir. A creepy-looking girl was here and said the place was all ours.”
“I know her. Thanks; now get the building down before somebody else moves in!”
The news put him at ease; with any luck he’d never see that girl again. He showered, shaved, and enjoyed a good cup of coffee before setting off for work. The day was sunny and clear, and he managed to hit all the traffic lights perfectly on the way in. It was like a dream come true. By the time he arrived at the building he was whistling to himself.
Adams parked in the underground lot and took the elevator up to the office. As he stepped out into the firm’s lobby he announced loudly, “It’s great to be alive!”
Jenn, the receptionist, looked shocked. Several of the office sycophants came out to greet him and stopped dead in their tracks. Mrs. Thomas turned away and let out a little squeak.
Adams looked down and gasped as the girl’s words came back to him again. It was a dream come true, all right. The dream where he showed up at work naked.