Sledgehammer Writing Contest

Many of you know that Sledgehammer Director Ali McCart has moved to Alaska for the 2012-2013 school year. And wouldn’t you know it? Writers up there want to Mini Sledgehammer too! If you’re interested, join them in the library at 5 p.m. every first Wednesday through May.

February marked the first of the Alaska Mini Sledgehammers, and it was a blast! Kathy Anderson took home the prize with this sneaky story.

Prompts:
Character: Librarian
Action: Typing
Setting: Small business office
Prop: Broken zipper

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Untitled

by Kathy Anderson

Eleven P.M. was an odd time to be in the small business office.  Papers were scattered on the desk and files were in disarray.  The clicking of the computers keys could be softly heard over the subtle noise of the state of the art air conditioner.  Jenna, the librarian at the small museum housing artifacts of war crimes, wouldn’t normally be at work at this hour.  Normally-

Time was running short.  She needed to get this information decoded and uploaded before the target time of 12:00 midnight would be reached.  Jenna – a small, demure, woman of Swedish descent only could will time to slow down in order for her to complete her objective.  People’s fortunes, their very lives, depended on this information to be delivered.

She finished typing, exhaled, and noted the computer needed 10 minutes to finish uploading the information she had been gathering.  A perfect opportunity to use the facilities.  Thus far her plan had been executed flawlessly.  She knew the office would be empty at this hour of the night except for the custodians, so there were no disruptions.  Many nights she worked long hours at the museum library logging data and cataloging the written archives, so no one suspected.

Stretching she walked silently to the restroom.  She knew the cleaning crew would be making their rounds soon; she had to hurry.  She always dressed the part of the mousy librarian, cardigan sweaters, blue jean skirts and today was no exception.

Wouldn’t you know it! She chose the stall with no toilet paper in this tiny bathroom.  She leaned over and reached up into the next stall to grab for the roll there.  While leaning over for the TP, her cardigan became caught in her zipper of her skirt.  Are you kidding me!  The more she worked at releasing the cotton material from her fly, the more entangled it became until the zipper actually broke.

As she was working at her zipper, she lost track of time and the bump of the mop bucket in the hallway alerted her to the fact that the custodians had arrived.  She had to get back to her computer.  But how without causing a scene?  But wait- maybe that is exactly what she needed to do! Cause a scene.  She somehow removed her arms in her cardigan, revealing the silky cami underneath.  She slipped off the jean skirt with the cardigan still hanging from the fly and revealed her undergarment – thong underwear.

Slowly, seductively she leaned against the door jamb of the bathroom door  waiting for Juan to look up.  She wouldn’t make it back to the office in time to check that the upload had completed, but she could prevent, and very effectively,  the cleaning man from seeing what she was doing.

Not guns, nor bullets, nor XYZ zippers could ever stop double agent Jenna and she wondered what her next assignment would be.

© 2013 Kathy Anderson

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