Human Clay

Story

The face that looked back at Jenny Clay in the mirror wasn't the face she wanted to see. Its problem? It was hers. That face was full of her insecurities; it was full of her timidity; it was full of her plainness; it was full of her doubts. She wasn't smart enough; she wasn't successful enough; she wasn't desirable enough; she wasn't... enough.

Jenny tore her gaze away from the mirror to get ready for work. Whether she enjoyed her life or not, she had to go to work. It put a roof over her head and food on the table, and that was not to be taken for granted.

It wasn't that she was ungrateful for her life. Her life was fine by most standards. She was not particularly successful, but she was able to make ends meet in one of the world's best places to live. She had no romantic life, but she had friends.

It's just that there was a part of her that wanted... more. She always tried to ignore that part. All it did was send her on a trip down melancholy lane.

***

When Jenny arrived at work, Anthony awaited at her desk. As she approached, she began to feel intimidated, as she always did around the man. Part of it was his height, well over six feet. She barely came up his chest! Another part of it was his intelligence. The man was brilliant, having built his company to two hundred employees from nothing over the past ten years. But the largest part of it was simply his presence. He didn't intend to do it, but the overwhelming charisma he radiated always made Jenny feel small and insignificant.

"Good morning, Anthony! What can I help you with?"

"Morning, Jenny! I've got a small prospective client that I'd like you to go see first thing. They're on a tight timeline, and they need pro forma financials for the bank in the next couple of days. Our producers don't have time to squeeze them in today, but since you're between projects, I was hoping you'd be willing to—"

"Of course!" Jenny cut him off, then paused, a blush beginning to color her cheeks. Why hadn't she at least let the man finish his sentence? If she kept acting like an over-eager intern, everyone at the company would keep thinking of her as a barely-out-of-school kid rather than the smart, competent business professional as she wanted them to view her.

"Wow! I guess I chose the right woman for the job!" Anthony said, grinning, amused at Jenny's unexpected enthusiasm. He handed her a slip of paper. "Here's the address. Thanks for doing this for me, Jenny!"

Jenny nodded, still embarrassed by her own outburst. She hadn't meant to be so overly enthusiastic, but this was the first time Anthony had given her an assignment directly. Not only that, but she had a chance to onboard a whole new client. Small or not, this was a real opportunity to show what she could do to Anthony directly. It was exciting... and a little terrifying!

Jenny mapped the address on her phone and headed out.

The place was in a strange part of town that she'd never even known of, let alone visited before. She found a place to park her barely functional Honda Civic, then began on foot in the direction that her phone guided her. She entered a narrow alley, per the directions on the map. Jenny felt a bit claustrophobic between the rising walls of the old brick buildings. She walked to the end of the alley, then made a right. At the end of the next corridor, she made a left. Then another right.

This was like walking through a maze! Her hands began to tremble as nervousness washed over her, reflecting her growing discomfort at the oddity of it. Three more turns had her so deep into the strangely narrow brick corridors that she wasn't sure whether she could find the way back out!

Her heart began to beat faster as her fear continued to rise. Was there really a business back in here? What was this address had Anthony really given her? Some sort of prank? That wasn't really Anthony's style. Maybe he had just made a mistake?