“Stanley… hmm…” The Narrator lapsed into silence, apparently in deep thought. “I… honestly, I don’t remember? I don’t think I remember. He was here, for a while, the star of the story. He knew how to make choices, or at least he usually did, and I suppose he just…” His voice trailed off, lost. “…disappeared.”

The Repairman considered this, though he tried to hide it. It seemed odd that this narrator would still be lurking around an empty corporate space after the main character went AWOL.

“Hmm. So what exactly are you doi–” The Repairman put his hands over where his mouth would have been, but it was too late.

Ask an innocent question, get more work piled onto you.

After quickly gluing the crack in the Wall that appeared next to him (all the while, muttering a number of reprimands at himself), he decided it was time to move further down. As interesting as this was, he still had his job to do. Maybe he’d listen to the tropes after all this was done.

He pulled yet another sign from behind his back that asked “So what are you doing, since he’s gone?” and took his toolbox with him, past the cubicles.