Endless Hallway to the Aquarium Office with Maya

Endless Hallway to the Aquarium Office with Maya

I woke up late for work and rushed out of my apartment, but the hallway in my building seemed to stretch forever. I could see the familiar mailboxes, then a line of lockers from my old high school, then the grocery store aisle where I always grab coffee. I kept running, trying to find the elevator, but every floor I stepped onto was a different version of my office: one with glass walls, another with a giant aquarium, another where the desks were replaced by standing pods. My coworker Maya was there, but she looked half‑like my dad, her voice a mix of both. I tried to hand her the report I’d printed, but the paper turned into a thin screen that flickered “Access Denied.” I panicked, fumbled for my keys, but the keyhole was a biometric scanner that read my face and then showed a picture of me as a teenager. I woke up just as the scanner beeped, heart racing, and realized I’d missed the train again.