As the music faded at the end of the evening, people trickled out of the cavernous dance hall. Soon, the hum of voices died out and a strange calm settled in. The ‘quiet’ time for the nightclub had begun, after hours of raucous music and noise and merriment!
Cleaning staff fanned out, each to their appointed portions of the establishment. They were armed with various gadgets to clear the room of the detritus of human enjoyment – glasses, used napkins, straws, melted ice cubes in puddles, and cigarette-butts! Some with lipstick marks on them, most without.
In a dark corner, the heavily built janitor wheezed slightly as he bent to sweep around a table. There was a bad stain he could barely see on the carpet, so he peered closely at it. Yes, it was a wine stain. It seemed as if an entire bottle had been spilt! In ordinary light, it would have stood out starkly against the carpet it sullied. He made a mental note to mention it to the carpet maintenance service on their next visit. He stood up, creaked away from the corner, and thought no more about it!
Soon, there was silence and darkness as the cleaning staff finished their round.
The wine stain settled further, more comfortably, onto the bosom of the carpet and murmured: “Without this place, I would never have found you!” (230 words)
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