Night of the spirit

A novel in progress

Friday, June 30, 2006

One

The heavy brass keys swung in Geoff's hand as he swaggered, in his security guard gait, up to the doors. The pavement was empty; students would have been a rare sight at this hour anyway, but this was vacation time, and they were far away. Not that the University stopped: it hardly needed students for its work. His fingers instinctively selected the three keys required, and he unlocked the door. The authorities worried about break-ins, but it was hard to see why. There was nothing inside but books, worn-out furniture, threadbare carpets. Even the computers were antiquated, of value only to museums. He pushed into the lobby against the fat wedge of post; he picked it up and carried it to the desk.