Application
by
C V Ford
Nozaki waited as the clock ticked off the final seconds to mid-night. Not wanting to miss the web sites' appearance, he felt the need to get things exactly right. In his on again/off again profession, missed opportunities came & went easily.
It wasn't the the hot/cold passion of vengeance driving him to seek out Hell Correspondence. No, rather an anxiousness brought about by a low key desperation. He knew hatred was what got one to that goal or so he heard. He decided to take the chance anyway. Nothing ventured as they say ...
Clock striking the hour, the screen changed from the blue-white blandness of the search engine to that of the momentary flame red then black web page of the hoped for site.
The man hesitated, not quite comprehending the truth of the moment. The urban legend panning out before him had taken him momentarily aback. Shaking himself out of his brief daze, he typed in the necessary info & hit ENTER. It wasn't the appropriate info but the sole entry field was the only place on the page.
The screen immediatly switched back to the search engines' characteristic mundanity. At least there was no error message.
The seemingly young girl gazed resignedly out over the red twilit landscape before her. From the porch she had a perfect view of the vast crimson lake between the valley peaks before her. Yes. Almost beutiful ... if one didn't think too much about what it actually was (Revelation 20:10-15).
"Ai ... you have a message."
"Thank you Grandmother," her gaze unwavering in her reply. Many years of lingering experience had numbed her to the import of that announcement. Broken mankinds' thirst for vengeance never waned.
Getting up, she entered the small houses' main room. Glancing at the old McIntoshs' screen, she expected the usual name entry of one she was to escort to perdition.
"Oh!?"
"Is something wrong child?"
"No Grandmother," Ai replied. "Nothing wrong ... Only different."
"Yes ... At times it happens."
Since the internet had taken its' hold on world communications, requests came without let up. Almost always the expected kind. But this ... The kind coming only once every two or three years. The simple message in the field read, Inquiry: Employment opportunities.
Ai knelt down at the low table on which the computer sat & typed a reply.
Nozakis' machine alerted him to the presence of newly arrived email. Hurridly checking his account he did a quick intake of breath. Such a quick response!
Request recieved. Please allow at least 24 hours for notification as to time & place of interview. Thank you for your inquiry to Hell Correspondence.
"Shigeru Nozaki, actor though not that well known." Hone Onna held the papers in front of her as she read. In her guise as a temp secretary at the talent agency, she had gained the info on him easily enough. "It's been several months since he's found any work at all & he's getting desperate."
Standing with his back to the other three, Ren gave his summation. "Lives quite modestly. Has ambitions to making it big in the field but not above doing any kind of job to make ends meet. Judging by the bills stacked on his desk, I'd say we have a candidate, Miss.
Wanyudo, leaning against the porch support, glanced sideways toward the girl. "His last place of employment won't have anything to do with him. While more than acceptable as a washer of dishes, his running off for uh ... as they say ... a ... curtain call(?) didn't help in their estimation of him."
Ai, her face in characteristic deadpan, silently took the review in & pondered: An actor, with some experience, could be useful. He was, in the words of that trade, "hungry" & could thus put up a good performance when called upon. His abandonment of previous day job wasn't necessarily an indication of laziness or being difficult as much as it was dedication to his craft. An interview would reveal more.
Using the next 24 hours wisely, Nozaki cleaned, shaved, tidied up. Even had his suit pressed. Resume' in order, he was ready. Sitting by the phone reading a trade journal, he half patiently waited, trying not to let the tension get to him.
For the past several years, the world economy had been lagging. In their well intentioned obstruction & ineptness, the worlds' polititians & would be reformers only made it worse. Employment had been wanting, especially for newer low tier members of the acting profession. While Shigeru had some modest success as an actor in voice work & even a few nonspeaking walk-ons in television, it didn't pay the bills. Though he did save money from his work & past regular employment, he estimated he had about two months before taking up residence in the street.
So he sat, in somewhat tense expectancy of the hoped for call. What he didn't expect was the tangibly felt presence to his left.
Jerking with a start, he took in the sight before him. Though he knew a young woman would probably contact him, it never occured to him it would be a black clad adolescent. As a dedicated obsessive compulsive he "KNEW" his doors were locked so this had to be the fabled "Hell Girl" & not some kid wandering in off the street. He couldn't recollect any schools in the area with a uniform like that. And those un-nerving red eyes ...
"I take it ... you are ..."
"My name ... is Ai. And you have summoned me."
"Interview?"
"Here."
Bringing himself up, he directed her to the kitchen table where his resume & other info lay.
"Never thought I'd be saying this to an interviewer," waving his hand to a chair opposite, "please have a seat."
"I'm guessing the interview did not go well Miss." Ren walked to Ais' right on her return to the house in the in-between.
"It went well enough until ..."
"Yes," Ren said knowingly. "It's always that."
Nozaki let out a sigh of more than nervous relief. Close!
The interview had gone quite well at first. His prospective employer seemed quite satisfied with his bona fides & the offered terms of compensation were quite good. Much more than he ever made before. His being an actual human meant "special needs" taken into account thus the pay/benefits rather generous. The nether world did have more than ample resources.
"Yes," he thought. "Almost took her up on the offer ..."
Almost ... If it wasn't for that MANDATORY "retirement" plan ...
Storyline (only) copyright © 1-30-12 C V Ford
Disclaimer: The preceding is a NON-PROFIT work of fan fiction for entertainment purposes only. I make no claim to ownership of the copyrighted names/characters, places, & events mentioned in this work. They are the sole properties of their respective owners. Please, by all means support the owners of such properties in the purchase & enjoyment of their products.