Dust Off

The pink haired veteran and the intern stand at attention, blinded by the cloth covering their eyes, anxious to begin. Neither knows what to expect. But each is determined as the other to win. For Elena it’s more than just an opportunity to win a reprieve from the insanity of the last few days. It’s a chance to settle a score with the woman who betrayed her to her fate.

Sucks to be you, ****-Jess. She can’t help but think.

She grips the duster with the **** of a batter in a cage. No way is she ever going to let this ‘friend’ put one over on her. Not after what happened in the cistern. This is one wrong that has to be set right.

“Okay ladies.” ****-Myra barks at them. “These are the rules. You got a little over thirty minutes to clean this apartment up. That means the living room, kitchen, the whole bit. Anyone who misses a spot will be docked a point per item per room. The one who has the most points when I call time wins.”

Elena sighs.

“One more thing. You have to remain blind-folded. Failure to do so will be an automatic disqualification. And no breaks! On your mark…set..go!”

They fumble around for the first few minutes, bumping into each awkwardly as they struggle to get started. Elena pushes herself past ****-Jess, not even bothering to apologize. She runs her hand along what appears to be a mantle, dusting with the energy of a madwoman. It isn’t long before she and ****-Jess get into a tussle.

“Get off me!” She shoves her former colleague. “I found it first!”

“What a brat.” ****-Jess sneers. “I’m disappointed.”

“Didn’t know you had expectations to begin with.”

Elena pushes ****-Jess away, forcefully knocking her to the ground. The self-appointed team leader of the cistern gets up and walks toward a nearby window, claiming it for herself. She dusts the blinds vigorously as Elena moves toward the TV, dusting it as well.

****-Myra smiles impishly, enjoying the farce. Mistress would get a kick out of this. She licks her lips as she moves out of the way, tallying points in her legal brief. The game has only just begun, and yet she senses a real barn-burner on her hands.

Or would it be dust burner?

The combatants square off again, fighting over the mocha colored coffee table.

****-Jess manages to wrestle Elena to the ground, pinning her arms.

“Quit while you’re ahead.” She hisses.

“And give you the pleasure of watching me squirm? Never.”

The intern knees her in the stomach and frees herself. She takes the initiative while her opponent writhes in pain, quickly dusting over the furniture and moving on before ****-Jess could gang up on her. She cleans the bookcase and one of the rear windows as she works her way towards the foyer.

****-Jess follows her, stumbling as she catches her breath. She slumps against the wall of the corridor.

“What did I say?” ****-Myra yells. “No breaks!”

“But ****-Myra, please…”

The referee grabs ****-Jess by the hair.

“You know the rules.” ****-Myra whispers in her ear. “No breaks.”

“Just this once.” Her colleague begs her.

“I don’t recall you ever taking breaks in real life.”

“That’s because I’m really good at pretending to work.”

****-Myra glances at her apprentice working diligently. She must’ve dusted at least thirty or forty items at least. Do books count? At any rate she’ll own this competition.

“All right.” She concedes. “But I’ll dock you five points.”

She grabs ****-Jess’s forearm and pulls her back up, sending her on her way with a pat of the butt. ****-Jess catches up with her quarry, cornering her as she works a drawer.

“You’re think you’re winning now, but you got another thing comin’.”

“Says you.”

They wrestle again for several more minutes, bumping into the single bed and knocking over anything that isn’t heavy enough. Precious figurines, books, and glass paperweights tumble towards the ground, shattering dramatically as they fight in a **** grapple. Shards grind themselves into Elena’s bare feet, cutting her.

She slams her foe against the wall, kneeing her repetitively.

“Stop!” ****-Jess begs. “I’m hurt.”

“Not as much as you’ll be when you lose.”

The noise drifts into the living room, catching ****-Myra’s attention. She dashes into the room, curious to know what’s going on. What she finds is a battle for the ages.

“Cut it out you two!” She yells.

The combatants turn their heads.

“Game’s over. And by my count…"