We walked around a large glass box. Inside of it was an office. Inside the office was a man sitting across from his boss. He was receiving the worst news of his life. It didn’t take me long to figure that much out.

“What are you talking about? I’ve done nothing but make money for this company.”

“Marshall. What you’ve done doesn’t stop change from happening. The company needs to change to survive and your position is no longer deemed necessary for our future development. We thank you for your work here. You have until the end of the shift to remove your personal belongings from your office.”

Marshall Fix left the room and returned to his office. He packed up his stuff. Everything was placed in a box or two. Everything fit. Marshall was a man of order. That much was obvious after watching only a few minutes of his life. He didn’t break down in the office. He didn’t even make eye contact with any of his former co-workers. He left like a ghost. He left and it was as if he never existed there to begin with.

The glass box was our view into his life. It followed him everywhere. We followed him everywhere. I was used to these moments being just that. A few moments. I could tell this would be a much longer timeframe.

“So what are we doing here?” I asked.

“This is the start of the end of his life. As far as he’s concerned anyways. His life isn’t hard. But it won’t be getting any easier. We guide him along. Get him going to wherever it is he’s heading,” Mr. Calamity said.

“So what are we to him?”

“We’re guides. A sign of hope. A road block. We’re whatever we need to be. Our time with him won’t end with him getting through this. We are just here for the start of his dark times. He will have a ways to go when we finish. For right now though, just watch.”

So that’s what we did. We just watched. Marshall drove to his apartment. He didn’t bother to take his stuff up to the 4th floor with him. He walked into his apartment and dropped his keys on the kitchen counter. There was a cat in the corner of the room. He didn’t pay it any attention. Then he fell to his knees and cried. His sobs weren’t fully realized yet. He was more in shock than despair. It wasn’t the same sadness I had seen on the bad days of First Borns. The cat kept watching from the corner. It didn’t approach its owner. His apartment held the same order that his former office had. There were things missing though. Gaps in the order. There were empty spots on his book shelves. Pictures missing from frames. Someone was missing from this place. He had lived with someone here. A girlfriend. She had left him recently. His life flowed into my eyes. The more time I spent watching, the more of his history I knew. He just kept sobbing. Muffled, broken sobs.

“He spent his entire life working on his career. That was the goal. He let his girlfriend leave. He lost touch with his friends long ago. He barely talks with his family anymore. Now it’s all gone. All he has left is scattered pieces all belonging to different puzzles,” Mr. Calamity said.

“You said this is only the start?”

“Yes. He will lose more before he gains. That much is a certainty. That’s also for another time.”

Mr. Calamity went to leave. It was time to go.

“We’re done?”

“Yes. Tomorrow we can see another room. Longer days are coming. You should enjoy the short ones while they last.”

“So does that mean I’ve got the job?” I asked.

“Yes. I saw enough.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what did you see?”

“You didn’t ask if we were going to help him. We aren’t here to make sure they are okay. Many people don’t end up okay. It’s called a disaster for a reason. It’s a negative life altering event. We get them to where they are going. Sometimes that’s a bad place. We can’t think about helping them. We just guide.”

He walked through the door, letting it close behind him again. This was just the start. Tomorrow there would be another door. Another disaster would be waiting behind it.