Bald Guys and Turbolifts

[Tachyon 0]

Personal Log Stardate 0409.02

Ensign Arthur Dent

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I stood in that turbolift, feeling as if time had been frozen, almost as if a week or so had passed briefly before my eyes.

 

I mused over the last few days and my apparent restlessness, not having anything to do but not wanting to do anything. It was nice to see Liz again.

 

I coughed briefly, and thought to myself, “That Klingon put garlic on my gagh!”

 

But such meaningless thoughts were unusually overwhelmed by my memory of our awkward conversation. Liz had unfortunately brought up Phil. Every person has a skeleton in their closet—or more than one—and my skeleton was Phil Khanners. Awkward was an unfair adjective. More like . . . subtly uncomfortable.

 

Although I only graduated months ago, even that short time has blurred my memories of the events. They have receded into my mind, unforgotten but unmentioned chapters which I had hoped just to avoid. Yet unfortunately, it seemed as if that never happened.

 

I sighed and shifted my feet, unaware that the turbolift was still on the Midway—I had not yet specified a destination. It could have been worse—the turbolift could have gone somewhere without asking first.

 

My thoughts turned toward my incipient holonovel. I needed characters, characters that one could believe were living and breathing.

 

After what seemed like seven days, I finally figured out what I needed. The one thing that had made many novels and entertainment arenas popular. I needed a bald guy.

 

Unaware of reality around me, I did not know that three decks above me, an irate man was standing outside the turbolift doors, frantically pressing buttons, and wondering where the turbolift was.