A second chair at the repair shop

Creativity · Original fiction

Jon brought a lamp to the repair shop. “It no longer turns on,” he said. The repairer examined the switch and asked where he used it.

“At my desk.” “For writing, or for looking at things?” Jon had never considered that these might need different light.

While the repairer checked the cable, Jon sat in the second chair. The shop held a row of objects with handwritten labels. One said WAITING FOR A PART. Another said OWNER STILL DECIDING.

“Does anyone leave things here forever?” he asked. The repairer nodded towards a clock. “That one belongs to me.”

The lamp needed a new switch. Jon agreed to the repair. Before leaving, he asked if the clock was waiting for a part. “Time,” said the repairer, and both of them looked at the other objects in the room.