Robert A. Bak, 7/23/2012

Current occupation: Agent/Manager for BAK Editions.

Former occupation: DynaTheater & Planetarium Manager for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science..

Contact Information: Robert has been involved with the entertainment business for many years. First starting off as a stage manager Off-Off Broadway in NYC, and then working in Los Angeles and Albuquerque. He has been a director and producer of plays with national award winning playwright William Derringer. In addition to his involvement in theater, Robert has written a number of short stories. He would like to thank William for the training and insight of what the writing process is. Robert is very pleased that his story, “Dark All Over” is being published in Work Literary Magazine.

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Each week the obliging Managers and Staff would show up and set up for the whole week and weekend to accommodate the upcoming audiences. Monday mornings started the week day with the boss going up the staircase towards the dark shadows of her office. They could all hear the unaware presence of the High Heals CLICK and CLACK and stumbles of the misguided and non-caring Director. She was some what clumsy walking down the hallway her face twisted from evil thoughts. Only when she saw someone coming towards her would she have that fake smile. Her ever threatening smile of hers, that no one ever trusted or understood where it was coming from. She, only wanted to be heard what she wanted to be heard. She wanted them to know that she was there and anytime she wanted…she would have full power.

She was the Total Boss!! She Ruled!! She would hire!! She would fire!! Her words would be endless. She was total…high heals and all. If she ruled in the darkness, she would rule! Every moment she reigned, she would place the power in her darkness and high heel shoes.

When she entered the building she would always use the rear entrance, never the main one. The idea of meeting and greeting her employees were against her thoughts. Even though her office had numerous windows it was a dark room. In her darkness…she was power. If she wanted to hire…she could. If she wanted to presume the power of her authority, for the run of the whole weekend or any special events, she could. She could do what she wanted. She would control!!

In darkness or with right or wrong……she had the final say-so! Even when she was walking up the stairs toward the dark shadows of her office no one was safe. When she spoke…only the staff could guess what would happen next. The raspy noise of her speaking and the click of high heels and rattling from her wispy sounds being yelled out through the dark and dismal office of hers were feared by all the employees. Every day was a challenged to survive her. The staff always had trepidations from hearing their name being called from her. She must decree!!! This way, it’s letting everyone know, she is there! She has shown up! She was the power. Even if she was wrong! She was the power! She was there!

In her upstairs office in the shadows of the never ending gloom that always prevailed. She opens the door and she will eventually exits the office and she’ll clump and somewhat click and clack down the staircase…in her high snobbish shoes.

She would dismiss everyone….if she wanted to! This lady in the dark and if gloom is what she wanted she would unite with it. She would have the power. From her office, even with the windows open, was so dark within; her own choice. She would more than rule! She thought that she would dominate. How sad. How cruel. How unjust! A horror of darkness….and all over! How can one stop…a woman in power…alive…in the dark. A woman….sinister all over. Within her mind, within her hearing, her seeing. She was always in the knowledge in every endeavor. Or stealing your ideas and then making them hers. It is never easy trying to survive a job when darkness surrounds everything.

We all must make choices and most of us would leave such an environment. We the employees are the light and we do make a difference, for ourselves and for the company or organization that we work for. Have you ever been in a place like this???

Of course! All of us have. It seems to be part of our current business world. Do we survive and go forward? Of course we do. Do the people who bring darkness to their office ever learn? Or is it better being in the dark than ever seeing the light? I leave that up to you, the reader.