(100-word flash fiction)
The potted palm has miraculously multiplied into a forest. My water bottle is now a waterfall, merrily splashing away, unconcerned about the carpet.
The bric-a-brac are flying birds and just when I am enjoying the dream, a voice says, “Nice, eh?”
I swivel to see emptiness.
“Make a wish!”
“Wish?”
“Today’s your lucky day. Any wish you make will come true.”
“What do I wish for? I have everything, except …. except…. I hate going to office, to lazy co-workers, and a nincompoop boss.”
“Poof!”
When I wake up, a lockdown has been declared.
I am still working from home.
~~~
Disclaimer : I certainly didn’t wish for the pandemic, but judging by reports that a lot of people enjoy working from home, it must have been in the collective consciousness for some time. Apparently, even the open-plan office setting is not good for productivity. But what do I care, I have the best job 🙂 And I get to write flash fiction every week, thanks to the lovely Rochelle 🙂
Photo prompt –
PHOTO PROMPT © Marie Gail Stratford
Click the Frog to read other stories and add your own.
Just Joyfulness 
Some things will never be the same again afterwards. The way we work may be one of them. Nice story
Thanks Neil. The world might never be the same again.
I can’t help but feel the long term effects of not co-working have yet to manifest themselves. Nicely done.
I agree, people and ideas feed off each other.
We are writers, many of us prefer solitude when we are working, but I don’t believe that is universal.
Thanks Sandra.
Introverts like me are thriving. Extroverts not so much. We will know in due time.
Nicely done, JJ, but I think the novelty will wear thin…
We will have to wait and see. IMHO, to spend a majority of one’s waking time with unchosen people instead of people we love and respect seems a bit extreme. Just because things are done a certain way does not mean it’s right. The pandemic is giving us the opportunity to question a lot of things.
I’ve come full circle after so much lockdown. The chance to get out and go to work and see other people is definitely welcome!
My husband felt the same. He couldn’t wait to get back 🙂 For me, the introvert, it’s a dream come true! But I think we need to find a happy medium. To spend a major portion of our time with co-workers we haven’t chosen instead of people we love seems a bit wonky to me 🙂
Wishes are always tricky as the old saying goes “be careful what you wish for”.
True, that!
Dear Joy,
I was going to say what Tanille said. 😉 Perhaps she should’ve wished for world peace and health. 😉 Not sure even a genie can grant that one. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
No genie can bestow world peace when powerful vested interests don’t want world peace.
I like that take. I’ve worked from home for years and now it’s the “in” thing to do. Who could have guessed. I’ve tried working elsewhere, but it never ends well. So, home it is…
I guess for people very sensitive to energy it’s always a challenge to work for 8 hours, 5 days a week, in close proximity with others 🙂
I had a brain injury that makes working even 4 hours a stretch. The more noise, commotion, people there is the harder it is for me. I was working childcare 4 hrs a day, but covid has the center shut down. I’m hoping to get a call back when/if they reopen. If not, I’ll stay home.
I can’t imagine working alone after being in an office environment. Colleagues, banter and drinks in the pub after work all gone! But each to their own.
Yes, it does have its advantages 🙂
Glad you can see the positive side of this!
Always the optimist 🙂
Great origin story, Jolly. One son and his wife and one son’s girlfriend all work from home now and really enjoy it. Lockdown has transformed our world!
Yes, the pandemic has been world-altering! Some people love work-from-home, some people hate it 🙂
Yes, some like working from home, but others find it hard to get anything done if their children are also home all day. Catch-22.
Yes, work-from-home is hard on young mothers 😦
Lots of things are workable if one can drum up the attitude to adapt, but change is hard for me,
Yes, apparently, Darwin was wrong, it’s survival not of the fittest but of the most adaptable.
Oh the irony! But now she can daydream at home, right? 😀
Hahaha 😀 I didn’t use to work in an office, so this was not my dream, just a light-hearted take on the prompt.
I knew it. We made it happen, too many people wishing for the same thing at the same time… but as is always the case with wishes, it didn’t quite happen the way we wanted 🙂
What if collectively and unconsciously wished for the world population to be lesser? We give too much importance to the mind while forgetting we are not our minds.
Be careful for what you wish for. Dreams do come true.
True, that!
That’s why I never make a wish without first consulting a lawyer.
Working from home is the next step in our evolution. It’s better for the environment, less stressful for employees, and saves companies money. I assume renting office space is expensive. Of course, that savings won’t trickle down to employees or consumers.
True. The way we are working is hopefully changing for the better.
Eeeep. That was a powerful wish!
Mind you, I’ve been struggling with going back to the office. A lot of my team have. So I certainty understand the desire to stay home.
A lot of people I know have the same struggle. Especially the ones who commute long distances.